


Seraglio

by Cerulean_supwho



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Future, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Androids, Angst, Bisexual Dean, Blow Jobs, Destiel - Freeform, Drunk Castiel, F/M, Future Fic, Hand Jobs, Kink, Lactation, M/M, Masturbation, Mommy Kink, Multi, Prostitution, Pseudo-Incest, Rimming, Schmoop, Sexual Slavery, Slaves, Slow Build Castiel/Dean Winchester, Tags May Change, Twins, Were-Creatures, Werewolves, sex with androids
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-02
Updated: 2016-05-01
Packaged: 2018-05-17 18:22:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 77,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5880991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cerulean_supwho/pseuds/Cerulean_supwho
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alternate Universe set in the future.<br/>Dean's life is too busy for a relationship, he has more money than time working as a government official. He seeks out sex in a high tech brothel where Castiel helps him to find what he is looking for. Dean and Sam are ex hunters now instrumental in keeping peace in the new world order. God has plans for "the righteous man" and Castiel is supposed to help him find his true calling. Maybe while helping Dean he gets a little too involved and falls for him. Maybe.    <br/> Seraglio is another word for harem or a brothel using slaves. Pronounced (Sare all yo)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Interview

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time to post an unfinished work. I plan to update soon. Love to have feedback as I develop the story. I have a lot of ideas not really sure where this is going. WARNING TAGS HAVE CHANGED. NEW KINKS ADDED. MAY GET KINKIER

The underground facility was close to the hub of Alliance City where Dean worked. A friend had recommended it to him when he complained about not having a life due to working long impossible hours at the Alliance headquarters. He had been a liaison to the Fifth Quarter province for the last five years and had to meet with their ambassadors on a daily basis. The Alliance was striving to keep the peace and Dean had lived and worked in the Fifth Quarter when he was out in the field, as a hunter. The Alliance of the Nine Moons was basically an organization of combined efforts by the outlying provinces to keep order and was the current center for governing the provinces. Dean had started working for the Alliance while out in the trenches, hunting down the monsters that threatened the lives of the innocent. It had been a family business, he had been trained by his father as a youngster and he and his brother Sam had carried on the family tradition for years. With improvements in surveillance technology their more basic skills were no longer in high demand. His working knowledge of the various underground factions had made him invaluable to the current regime and his hunting skills had gotten rusty. Sam also lived and worked in Alliance City, but worked in the legal department. He had furthered his education and finished Law school when they quit hunting, gotten married to his college sweetheart Jessica and the two of them had started a family. Dean was happy for him, he deserved that kind of life, not travelling all the time, chasing the monsters down and never sleeping in the same bed twice. Dean had never expected to marry himself, being a confirmed bachelor, but due to the outlawing of public alcohol stations he had found it hard to meet anyone lately. So when his buddy Tran had told him about Seraglio he had been intrigued and vetted the place using the center’s information collective. Being an official had it’s perks and Dean had researched the place thoroughly making him interested enough to go check it out.

Dean had an appointment scheduled for 1900 and as usual, had a hard time getting out of the office on time, luckily Seraglio was only two stops out from the center on the tube. The docking station was very close to the entrance of the establishment, the façade to Seraglio was very plain with only one small coded sign above the doors. Coded signs were common and yet allowed for discreet postings when advantageous. To get an appointment at the facility you had to have at least two stellar recommendations, as well as submit to an intensive interview that felt more like an interrogation, and Dean would know, having conducted several of those in his previous line of work. Their thoroughness had only served to impress Dean and so now he was here punching in his onetime code. Pneumatic doors swung open and Dean entered and walked up to the greeting area which was manned by a droid. A very natural looking droid, but Dean was an expert at that sort of thing. He had learned to tell the difference between multiple life and lifelike forms while he was hunting. 

“Dean Winchester. You are on time and Castiel is waiting for you. Please enter to the right and follow the blue lights to area blue 15.”

“Thanks,” Dean nodded and entered the code locked hallway to the right. There were blinking blue lights strategically placed along the walls at eye level which led him down three separate hallways and finally to an area designated Blue 15. As he approached the wall opened, turning outward to reveal a large modernly appointed office with plush chairs and a dark headed man watching the myriad of monitors surrounding his desk. He rose to greet Dean, not offering a hand but inclining his head and motioning to Dean to sit.

“Hello Mr. Winchester. Please have a seat.”

Dean’s hunter skills were causing him to be on high alert. Something was off about this ‘man’, if that was what he was. He was mentally surveying all of his features and analyzing every detail. His flesh looked human, but then most droids were hard to tell apart from humans, the skin production had gotten to the point that the contours were seamless. Droids never showed aging so those were the first signs Dean looked for. Sure they could create a droid to resemble any age, but usually there were tell tale signs, wrinkles that were too even, that’s’ what he looked for first. The best way to tell was to make them laugh or squint and by viewing as much bare skin as possible. That would be hard with this dude; he was all buttoned up dressed in navy slacks, a white button down with a blue tie and he had a large tan lab coat that covered it all. His hair looked very natural; the guy had the type of hair that never stayed neat even if the attempt had been made to groom it. It was dark, not quite black, maybe it was dark brown, and had a little bit of curl at the sides and neck. It also looked like he had missed a couple of haircuts as the softer hair behind his ears and low on his neck was downright scruffy, so basically the dude had bed head. Black thin rimmed glasses perched on his nose, clear enough for Dean to see the blue eyes with lids that stayed naturally hooded, even when the guy was concentrating like he was now. He was studying one of the monitors and swiveled one around for Dean to view.

Dean and Castiel spoke at once, “Welcome to Seraglio Mr. Winchester.”

“You can call me Dean.”

“As you wish… Dean. Welcome. If you will view the monitor with me and note that our discussion is being recorded as we speak.”

“Okay, yeah.”

“So you can see we have some basic information from your previous interview. Your appointment with me is for a tour of the facility as well as a more detailed interview.”

“This place is damned thorough.” Castiel flinched almost imperceptibly, however Dean noticed, then he continued to explain the process.

“We at Seraglio want to assure you that our assiduous adherence to detail will be to your advantage as well as ours. Shall we get started?”

Dean nodded his assent and Castiel motioned to the screen. “You are now viewing some of the common areas in the facility.” Dean could see hallways leading to open rooms and then private rooms. There were no people in any of the photos he noted, again for confidentiality he supposed. “We will be taking a walking tour later if you decide to become a member here. The terms of membership have been explained to you in detail were they not?”

“Yes, um yeah. They told me about the financial and privacy parts.”

“Well, today we are going to evaluate you for what you will require such as sexual preference, venue, special needs and so forth. If you are to answer truthfully you will have a more enriching experience. You were given a menu, a list of services provided?”

“Yeah, I um looked it over.”

“Okay then, first question, Mr…ahem, Dean. What is your sexual preference?”

“You mean like dudes or girls?”

“Yes well that is a good place to start. You are aware of other forms?”

“You mean like droids?”

“Assuredly we have many types of androids available. The types include men and women of all ages and varied physical attributes. The details can be very specific, at Seraglio we can manufacture almost any experience that you desire.” Dean could not believe what a poker face this guy had. He delivered the information as if it was a grocery list, not a preface to him detailing whatever kinky shit went on here. This was going to be a little harder than he thought. Dean had always been very open about his sexuality, except with his father, so he basically went wherever his dick led him. Hunting was not very conducive to much more than one night stands, so he had taken affection where he could find it. His morals, though loose, had boundaries, no exceptions to the no kids rule and mutual consent was a must. He had never really taken advantage of anyone, never had to. His body and quick wit had drawn lovers to him. This was a change for him. He’d never had to go without for long, but he was having a long dry spell. Seeing people from work never went well and he’d been through most of the assistant pool of those that were available which just made things awkward. Even his assistant, Mildred had the hots for him, but she was old enough to be, well she was too old for him. She was a great assistant, very efficient, good sense of humor and kept him looking good to his superiors. No way was he going to screw that up. The lure of no strings attached sex had appealed to him for more than one reason. He really just didn’t have the time to pursue anyone for sex and this seemed a more viable option than anything else he could think of. He sure as hell didn’t want to use any kind of matchmaking site for what would for him just be a hook up.

“Dean, we just need a place to get started, you can always update your profile and preferences at any time. I will be your guide for the length of your membership here. We hope that will make things easier for you. Why don’t I list what is available and you can either affirm or deny your interest.” Castiel was not immune to Dean’s charms; he was used to seeing very attractive people on a daily basis and Dean was beyond attractive. He was beautiful and nearly perfect. Castiel had helped design androids for a better part of his career and had never had a model with more classic beauty. Seraglio could increase their revenue astronomically if they were to acquire Dean’s likeness. He was still involved in the technical side of the business but his custom was to take only a few members to guide each year and they were always handpicked by him. Castiel needed to be out in the field, in order to facilitate and inspire his expansion of the business in developing newer products to offer. The usual guides took several new clients a week, helping them with their needs, but Castiel was only here for research purposes and needed to look at more than the data from the business. He had a hard time connecting with the human desires, had very little insight in to what they craved as he was involved for more academic reasons. He had helped to develop the model for Seraglio after finishing his PhD in human sexuality, mores and religion and prior to that he had been immersed in the robotics department at a large manufacturing plant. That plant had a contract with the Alliance to develop android soldiers and peacekeepers which were expensive but replaceable. To say that he was bored with robotics was not entirely true; the government specifications had ceased to challenge him. It was while he was working on his doctorate in human sexuality that he had come up with the concept for Seraglio. Very few people at the firm knew the extent of his involvement at the upper echelon of Seraglio, he actually was one of the main investors, but kept his name out of the business side and much preferred spending his time in the lab. He was now gathering data from new clients that he hoped would inspire him to create new concepts for continued growth. He handpicked Dean’s case after reviewing his data, found him to be an interesting subject but he wasn’t expecting Dean’s reticence in revealing his desires.

“You will need to make a verbal response to each cue please?” Castiel instructed. “Women?”

“Yes.”

“Men?”

“Yes.”

“Multiples?”

“You mean like a threesome?”

“Yes or more.” Dean took issue with this dude’s placid delivery, must be a droid.

“Um, I’m not turning one down, but not on the top of my list.”

“So, yes?”

“Um, yeah.”

“Android?”

“Gee, I tried that once and I am not a fan. Weirded me out a little.”

“So no?”

“Yes, I mean no.”

“Well Dean, we have made quite a few advances in that area. We have cutting edge technology here and I would be happy for you to partake in a demonstration if you find that you are interested. We have a large portion of our clientele that try the android experience once they see what they can do. Not only are they realistic, they can be made to your own specifications. We here at Seraglio have developed the only facility that offers cloned versions of androids if the patron contributes the DNA they want replicated.”

“Really? Like anyone’s DNA, even without their permission?”

“Again this reaffirms our need for extreme confidentiality at Seraglio. The android would never leave our facility and would only be ‘used’ by the person making the initial request.”

“Well, I don’t know…”

“You may certainly have the option of bringing DNA with someone’s permission, or we can take details down, or an image, for example a hologram to reproduce. You can just consider it for now; I just wanted to make you aware of the availability of services we offer.”

“Well, then maybe.”

“”So yes.” The dude almost had a perceptible change in his affect, like he was glad that Dean had agreed. The smile was more in his eyes, not very noticeable, but then Dean was not an average person.

“Yeah.” Dean was ready to get the show on the road; the interviewer seemed satisfied to move on to the rest of the questions, like he had got what he wanted. The next set of questions were about different kinks, some really kinky, like do people really do that stuff? Bestiality for fuck’s sake. Dean had seen a lot of part human monsters and they had to come from somewhere, just think about werewolves and shapeshifters, there definitely had to be some interspecies DNA going on there. Watersports, infantilism, BDSM, women’s lingerie were just a few of the kinks on the list. Dean had enjoyed his porn, and thought he was opened minded and willing to try a lot of things, but he was just here to get laid and somehow this seemed a little seedier than what he had envisioned. He was able to answer quickly to that group of questions. The next group was about the venue, sights, smells, locations and experiences that they could replicate. They offered everything from a prom night experience to beach sex. Some of the offerings catered to nostalgia and others to wishful thinking.

“So I can add to this anytime?”

“Most assuredly. Once you have experienced what Seraglio has to offer, we hope that you feel comfortable using your imagination to guide you in your requests. Feel free to start with something simple and we can always prepare something more elaborate for you in the future.”

“Well, I’m sold already. I’m here right. So now what?”

“First we take the tour of the facility so you will be able to find your way around. I will show you a sample of some venues available and then before you leave you need to make your request. You will let us know if there is something you have in mind, or we can design an experience for you based on what we’ve discussed today. Then we will set up a day and time for your experience. You can schedule experiences singly, weekly or at any interval you wish.”

“So will you be setting up my um…experience?” Dean watched for any change in expression in Castiel’s face. How involved was this guy in what went on? He was probably a big perv dealing with this stuff all of the time. Dean was looking him over again, appraising him, not really his type, too nerdy. If he wasn’t rocking the nerdy professor look he might be attractive but it was too hard to tell with all of those clothes on. And what was with the glasses? No one wore those anymore, no one. Everyone just had surgery to correct vision, the Alliance paid for it so that it was available to everyone.

“Yes Dean. I am your guide. You will be dealing with me personally. Please feel free to ask me anything as we take our tour. Shall we go?”


	2. The Tour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean finds out what Seraglio has to offer.

Dean followed Castiel out into the corridor after the office rotated until it faced outward. 

“Since you are my patron, you will always follow the blue lights. When you have an appointment you may either stop at my office or follow the pattern of lights that we set up for you. As the facility is quite large you may be greeted by a personal shuttle.” When they turned a corner there was a sleek glass and metallic shuttle, with blue lights along the side waiting for them that seated four. It seemed small from the outside, but was actually very spacious inside with deep cushioned seats. Castiel stood back and motioned Dean inside. He then showed him where to punch his code in and explained that the shuttle would then take him to his destination. The shuttles were programmed prior to their visit and would be waiting to escort them out at the end of their visit to the nearest tube stop. Dean had been impressed with the facility from the materials he had reviewed, but was more impressed now that he was getting the whole experience. His position at the Alliance was very lucrative, he had more money than he would ever use as his needs were simple. The major down side to his job was that he had very little free time. He lived in housing provided for him, rode free transportation, ate at work, it was actually ridiculous the amount of money he had accumulated in his five years at the Alliance Center. Maybe now it he could reap some of the benefits of all that money. This place was uber expensive, but it was beginning to sound like it would be worth it.

“So Castiel?”

“Yes, Mr…Dean.”

“I saw the projected cost of each experience, but if I keep adding things like a custom made droid, how do I know how much it will be each time.”

“Each experience may vary with cost, but I assure you that I will personally calculate cost and make all arrangements for you. At the end of the tour we can design an experience for you and give you an idea of what to expect. I will give you my personal ECHO (Elite Communication Human Origin was a number that was specific to each person and would get a message or phone call to them by multiple methods, it was also used as a money exchange with additional codes) so that you can contact me whenever you have a need.” Dean had decided that this guy had to be human prior to offering his ECHO, the crinkles around his eyes looked too natural, but when he offered in that deep gravelly voice it sparked an interest that was not professional. He really wanted to know what made this guy tick. What were his ‘preferences’? This was not going to be fair, the dude would know all his secrets and he would know jack squat about him. 

The shuttle ride was smooth and soon they were at the first venue. The door opened into a small cozy room that looked like a den in a comfortable home from thirty years ago. There was a vintage television on the wall, a fireplace, a small bar area and cushy furniture. A well appointed bed and bathroom adjoined the main area, but was fashioned to resemble rooms from the same period. Castiel demonstrated how several things worked, displaying the attention to detail. “Kind of like your grandparents’ house, very nostalgic mnn?” Dean liked it. Castiel added that this area was picked after research in to Dean’s family and area he was raised in. “Impressive. Very similar to what I remember.” Castiel looked pleased and watched Dean as he walked around and made note of the décor and appliances, turning things off and on, opening doors and cabinets. He allowed him to look as much as he wanted and then offered to move on to the next venue.

They arrived at a large open area reminiscent of an empty warehouse. “This is for our more elaborate experiences that require more room. Let me show you a few options.” He offered Dean a seat and walked off to a corner door, disappearing behind it. The lights dimmed initially and then there was a seascape that was projected into the room, water and all. Palm trees at the edge of the wooded area, sand, seagulls the whole works. If Dean had not just sat down in the empty room he would not have believed it. Just as he was getting used to the seascape the area changed to a mountain view, by a stream with a small cabin close by. The next landscape was a desert scene with an oasis in the center, complete with tents and camels kneeling close by. Three other scenescapes faded in and out before Castiel returned to Dean’s side. “Wow. That was awesome.”

“Yes well, there is a lot of behind the scenes work that has to occur in order to make it more realistic; we bring in water, food, and whatever the scene calls for. There is a lot of attention to detail. We can even add a crowd like at a sporting event or concert. This area is large enough to do quite a lot.”

“Yeah, it’s huge. Makes a person’s imagination do back flips, ya know?”

“Yes. It is meant to inspire.” He motioned to the door and they entered the shuttle waiting on them. “This next area is the one that I favor. It is meant to create an immediate gratification experience. You will come to this area when you do not have time to make prior arrangements, a sort of ersatz shopping center as it were. I hope you find it intriguing and are welcome to use this part of the facility today if you wish.”

“Without an appointment, so… anytime?”

“Yes, I understand that your job requires long hours and that you don’t have a lot of spare time. This area was designed to accommodate anyone who on short notice has an urge to alleviate. There are venues ready at all times of the day and night.” Dude made it sound so clinical, alleviate? Urges?

“We have staff here around the clock. Some will actually sleep here, almost like a home away from home. The accommodations are very comfortable and inviting. Would you prefer to start on the female causeway or the male?”

“Um, whatever. I um, what do you suggest?”

“Well, we are closer to the male causeway; we’re coming up on it just now. We can see both if you like? Let’s get out and walk for a while, shall we?”

The causeway was wide enough to drive a Mac truck through with plenty of room to spare. On either side there were moving sidewalks that ran along concrete and glass walls. The corridor was so long, Dean could not tell how far it went. If he had to guess he would say close to half a mile, but that would be insane. They started on the right side and after stepping onto the moving sidewalk Castiel showed him where you could get on and off. There was a wide area immediately next to the wall that was stationary. The wall was divided by concrete pillars with large glass walls between. Castiel explained how the glass was only opaque until the shield was cleared, they could see in, the occupants could not see out. At each station there was a display monitor that gave some information about the unit. He showed him how to tell if one was active, ready for use or occupied. If in use he would not be able to access any of the information and would have to move on. The first two were occupied, but the third had information listed. Dean read the stats. 19 year old male, blonde hair, blue eyes, 6’ 2”, athletic, prefers topping, willing to switch. College student. Working on degree in chemistry. There were more details and as Dean was perusing them Castiel asked, “Would you like to take a look?”

“So we just look and if we like we can just…”

“Yes Dean. See this area on the monitor. You enter your daily code and then your ECHO. Then you have the option to just watch for a while or send a message and our employees will reply to you. If you want they can see you first or you can go in blind. Your choice, our staff is here to please you. The cloak of the shield allows for your privacy should you choose to move on. “Would you like to look?”

Fuck yeah Dean wanted to look. “Uh, yeah, yeah let’s look.” Dean unconsciously licked his bottom lip and watched as Castiel entered data into the display. The blackened glass lightened to the view of a well lit room with a young blonde seated at a desk. The desk was configured with three display monitors and the young man was apparently studying the graphics on the screens. At first they just watched for a while, then Castiel entered something else on the monitor and the sound from the room came through the speakers. There was loud and somewhat grating music playing and the young blonde was bobbing his head in time as he concentrated on the screens. “Would you like to talk to him?”

“Talk…I um no. Not really. Not…”

“Okay, let’s move on. Remember if you see anything or anyone that you have interest in, just let me know and…”

“Yeah, you’ll arrange it.” What the fuck was Dean doing here? That kid was really young. Old enough, but too young.

“Too young for your taste?”

Now the dude was pushing too much. It was like he was reading his mind. Dean was usually the one doing the reading and he was not sure how he felt about this dude prying into his head.

“Okay moving on.” Castiel dimmed the glass and they walked down a ways. “Maybe this is a little more to your liking.” The display stats were twenty eight year old male, medium brown hair, brown eyes, 5’10”, aeronautic mechanic, sports enthusiast, bottom mostly, willing to switch, given high ratings at performing oral sex. “Let’s have a look shall we?”

Castiel entered the codes and as the view cleared, Dean saw a well built brunette lifting weights. His torso was naked, glistening with sweat, his build was well muscled, strong but not muscle bound and the shorts he had on were skimpy to say the least. There was a football game on one monitor, and hockey on another. There was an open beer bottle near a chair along with a bowl of some sort of snacks. 

“So what do you think Dean? Interested in learning more?”

Dean shook his head, “No um, I, well I don’t think, don’t get me wrong, he’s attractive and all. I just wasn’t expecting to do anything today…But I liked um…looking.”

“I see, well shall we move on to another area? Maybe look at some of the female staff?”

This guy was beginning to get on Dean’s nerve. First of all he was too complacent about the whole thing, like it was no more than offering the latest style in shoes. Secondly, even though this Castiel dude was a hard read for Dean, he felt as if he was judging him, more by the look in his eyes than his facial expressions. Dean felt exposed in front of this guy, he was basically a high class pimp that had privy to information that he never shared with anyone. He did not admit to the mild panty kink that he had during the interview, ‘What? They felt great on his skin. It was all Rhonda Hurley’s fault anyway. He didn’t think he would have ever tried women’s underwear if she hadn’t insisted he try her panties on. Hey, whatever it took to get in to her panties, he just wanted to get laid, and if that was what it took, no harm, no foul.’ Dean couldn’t help wanting to figure out what Castiel’s deal was. What was he perv or an automaton?

Castiel led them back to the shuttle and soon they were in a new causeway that looked identical to the first. The moving sidewalk took them several units down; Castiel pulled up the stats and offered, “You might be interested in this.” The window cleared on a scene that was decorated with bright red and gold oriental tapestries that were draped and hung in soft folds from the ceiling. Strewn about the floor were multiple ornate cushions situated around a low table, and the centerpiece of the room was a large round bed. Lounging on the bed were two very attractive, curvy and buxom women of obvious oriental descent. Castiel watched Dean closely for his reaction. His eyes became dilated, there was mild facial flushing, his breathing rate increased slightly and if he wasn’t mistaken Dean was developing the start of an erection. What Castiel knew and Dean did not, was that this was part of his plan. The information they had on him was much more than Dean was aware of. Castiel had been able to track his information fingerprints, giving him access to the type of pornographic material he engaged in and already knew that Dean had a predilection for the ‘Busty Asian Beauty’ type. Castiel had a way of subtly signaling to the women that they were being viewed. One of the women rose from the bed and started brushing the other’s long, straight raven hair with slow sensuous strokes. Her hands caressed her partner’s scantily clad shoulders and back as she brushed. The girl that was sitting laughed at something the other said and tilted her head back to look at her. The girl standing leaned in and kissed her on her cheek in a soft, sisterly way. Castiel was enjoying the way Dean was responding, the changes in his breathing pattern and the way it hitched at the sight of the kiss were measurable and Castiel would love to study this man in his lab. As it was he would be able to gather a lot of data. He had the right to use surveillance at the facility, sure it was under the guise of safety, but he got some of his best data observing patrons during their visits. All of the rooms were equipped with multiple safety features, and even though everyone went through rigorous background checks, some clients were still an unknown entity.

Castiel was satisfied that Dean was duly aroused and asked, “Do you think you might be interested Dean? You are welcome to utilize our facilities tonight. We can finish up our paperwork later; arrange future appointments for you if you wish?”

“So I can um stay here and then later, I mean after…I can finish the paperwork? Will I have to talk to someone else?”

“Of course you may stay for a visit tonight Dean. The staff members that you are currently observing are available immediately. We actually discount tonight’s visit, only standard rates apply as this is an established and ongoing venue. As for later, you will see me at the end of your visit. We can discuss anything you wish then. Mai Ling and Poppy will see that you get a shuttle back to my office.”

“Well um, yeah, then I yeah I’d like to have a visit now.”

Castiel talked into the monitor to announce Dean’s arrival and the glass partition receded upwards enabling their entrance. Castiel made introductions while Mai Ling and Poppy giggled and tugged at Dean’s arms to pull him further in to the room. Dean forgot about Castiel, the only thing he was aware of now was the hard on in his pants and the Asian lovelies on either side of him. Castiel smiled imperceptibly and yet smugly nonetheless to himself and watched the scene on the monitor in the shuttle on the way back to his office. When he got back to his office he ordered a meal to be delivered to him from Seraglio’s four star kitchen and settled in for a night of viewing. If he was correct there would be several hours of viewing, according to the reports he had on Dean he had a lot of stamina and was versatile in his approach. He also had handpicked both Mai Ling and Poppy and coached them on tonight’s scene. He was looking forward to talking to Dean later and getting feedback. Maybe he would be a little more relaxed and verbal after his session. Castiel also alerted the kitchen as to when the light supper would need to be delivered to Dean’s room. Here at Seraglio they prided themselves in giving a comprehensive and individualized experience. He wondered if Dean would appreciate the pie he was sending for dessert?


	3. Castiel's Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas plans fantasies for Dean's enjoyment.

Castiel had been sitting at his desk for close to three hours; the blue light from the monitors was reflected on his face that was intensely focused on the screens in front of him. The meal on the tray beside him was barely touched, forgotten as he was so enrapt in the scene before him. The staff at Seraglio had extensive training, very adept at their craft and Mai Ling and Poppy had not disappointed Castiel in their performance tonight. What had him mesmerized was the raw talent that was embodied in one Dean Winchester. If they could only clone someone with his technique then they would really have something. He understood that Dean just didn’t have the time to find a partner for sex, but from what he had seen tonight he was sure that people would come back for a repeat performance with Dean. Castiel needed to study him more, the blonde intrigued him, his sexual preferences were not important to the big picture. Castiel wanted to understand what motivated this man; what things brought him to his choices, and why he was not in a relationship. On outward appearance the man seemed to be a stellar partner. He was very attractive, had symmetric facial features, a lean but well muscled physique and was highly intelligent and prosperous. Castiel decided to investigate more about his family life. Were there attachment issues? Maybe substance abuse? Castiel had run full panels on hair as well as blood to check for illegal substances or excesses. Dean did not smoke, drank moderately (at least currently), had a slightly elevated cholesterol, a fairly intense allergy to cats and a well documented dislike for dogs. He was trained in the different dialects used out in the provinces, also hand to hand combat and was proficient handling multiple forms of weaponry. The Alliance had recruited him to function at a high level of the government as an intermediary between top officials as he was both insightful and responsive to change. Many of the notables took credit for what Dean accomplished behind the scenes thus he avoided notoriety. Castiel was intrigued and baffled at what made this man tick. He was in essence a renaissance man and Castiel was assured more than ever that Mr. Winchester, Dean, was going to be one of the most fascinating subjects that he had evaluated. His plan was to start out with simple things and work up to more complex ones with time and subtlety.

Mai Ling was directing Dean to the large shower area for a final clean up and Poppy was ordering Dean’s shuttle to return him to Castiel’s office. Castiel set up the monitor with Dean’s exit portfolio so that it would be at the ready. Castiel wanted it to go as seamlessly as possible to arrange future visits for Dean. He already had several scenarios planned and ready to execute. Now all they needed to arrange were dates, times and Dean could be on his way. Castiel watched Dean enter the shuttle and lay his head back on the cushion, sated, drowsy and peaceful. It was a personal victory for Castiel that Dean looked satisfied.

The shuttle ride was smooth and short bringing Dean to the entrance of Castiel’s office within minutes. Dean had already dozed off in the few minutes it took and did not awaken until the shuttle doors opened automatically. Castiel had been watching the whole time and dimmed the surveillance monitor as Dean approached and was standing at the ready to waken him if it was required. When Dean opened his eyes he was sitting in front of Castiel’s office that was now open to the corridor. Castiel motioned for Dean to come and sit next to the display ready for him. 

“Dean this won’t take long, I do not want to keep you any longer than necessary. All we need to do is establish dates and times for further visits and whether you want to make a request or allow us to design an experience for you. I trust your visit was satisfactory this evening?”

“I um, yeah it was…awesome.”

“It pleases us that you had a good experience and we look forward to your return. You do not need to make arrangements right now, you can call to set up an appointment whenever you decide, however I would prefer for you to express your preference now for the next experience as to whether you want to plan it or we can prepare it for you.”

Dean was in no mood to be making a decision at the moment; that was just too much to think about now. “I don’t know I um…you decide and I’ll call tomorrow or something.”

“Just enter your ECHO and you will note all of the information you need on the screen. You will receive my ECHO tomorrow and we can make plans. Your shuttle will take you to the tube,” Castiel offered Dean his guidance out the door and opened the shuttle for him. “It’s already programmed. Good bye Dean.”

“ ‘Night Cas.” Castiel had not had anyone call him that all of his adult life except his siblings. Maybe Dean was just comfortable around him but Castiel expected at least a modicum of respect for his position. He could not find it in him to be offended and noted that it pleased him that Dean had chosen to refer to him with a nickname.

Castiel was tidying his area for the night when he noticed his cold, half eaten meal. He wasn’t very hungry and even though it had been a long day he found that instead of being tired he was actually feeling invigorated. He could work a little from his apartment located on the grounds, his mind already full of ideas and plans for Dean. He stayed up for four more hours developing multiple scenarios tailored to Dean’s proclivities. Before retiring he checked all of his messages and was a little disappointed there was nothing there from Dean. Surely he was up by now and headed to work. Cas turned up the volume for his incoming messages from Dean and went off to bed.

Dean had trouble staying awake on the tube ride home; he actually had to pinch himself to stay alert. He was looking forward to hitting the hay and was not going to miss his stop. He had an early meeting planned with the Fifth Quarter entourage and needed to be there before them to prepare his staff. It probably was not a good idea to stay up so late, but fuck that. He had really needed that release. His friend Tran was right. That place was fucking awesome.

Dean had a very hectic day at work and spent most of it doing damage control. One of the Alliances elder statesmen had offended the Emir of the Eastern Path of Glory during a visit to his home on a good will mission. It was really a minor misunderstanding regarding a reference made about one of the Emir’s wives. The ambassador’s pronunciation of the word for mate was misconstrued as slave and due to the language barrier it had taken three aides, two interpreter’s and Dean’s intervention to straighten the whole mess out. The morning meeting went well but had taken up all of the morning and when the incident with the Emir was brought to his attention it had kept him busy through lunch and into the evening. Needless to say he had not had time to even think about Seraglio, much less eat a meal. Mildred, his assistant, made sure he had food available but Dean had not had time to eat and had just scarfed down a couple of desiccated protein bars in between calls. When he finally sat down in the tube he had time to remember last night’s exploits.

As he replayed in his mind the evening’s fun he began to realize that it was basically identical to his fantasy that he’d used multiple times to jerk off to. He could not remember if he had mentioned it in any of the questionnaires or the interview for Seraglio. Dean was pretty sure he had not, so how could they have known specific details for the inspiration fueling his self love sessions? He knew something bothered him about that Castiel dude. Was he able to read his mind or what? So they got Asian, check; Busty, check: Beauties, plural, check: sex on pillows on the floor, check: one beauty riding cock, check: one riding his face, check: multiple orgasms, check: oh yeah and pie, check. It was fucking awesome. Dean looked at his schedule for the weekend, and even if he didn’t usually work weekends, there was always something brewing in Alliance City where his special talents might be needed. Tomorrow night was the big gala in honor of the current guests. Dean would have to attend, his liaison duties included making sure the Fifth Quarter’s group was well taken care of, even at social functions. What the hell, he looked good in a penguin suit; he might even get lucky with all the people attending. He always had time to flirt and parties were a great place for a hook up. Maybe he’d call Seraglio Sunday if things didn’t go his way on Saturday. Right now he just wanted a beer, a quick nuked meal and his bed in that order.

Castiel checked his messages as soon as he woke up and every few minutes during the day. His day started in the lab where he spent time testing some of the new androids; there was one he was developing especially for Dean and he wanted to check the progress. He had been working on the design as soon as Dean’s friend Tran had come in for his first visit. He knew that Tran would tell Dean about Seraglio and had started on the prototype as soon as Tran had taken the bait. Humans were so easy; just offer them something for free and they would be hooked, especially with bait as alluring as sex. It was just a matter of time before he told his friend Dean about his experience at Seraglio. Castiel had made sure Tran’s experience was more than pleasant; he was transparent in his desires and was easily pleased. His particular experience was designed around men’s most often chosen stimulus for arousal. Evidently two women having sex together was something men enjoyed watching. It was only a week after Tran’s visit when Dean had contacted the facility, so they had been working on Dean’s android eleven days. The prototype was inspiring and ready to go in to production. Castiel spent all of his day in the lab and part of the night. Still no message from Dean.

The gala was a success; Dean’s time had been monopolized by the delegates and had not been free enough to flirt or much less close the deal. There were a lot of beautiful people there, but no one that he could get enough time with to make it happen. Dean had divested himself of the evening’s constrictive clothing, had a shower and was nursing a whiskey as he watched mindless drivel on the monitors. He was tired of the political worldwind of the week and just needed to unwind. Maybe he’d call Cas in the morning. The longer he sat there the more he thought about Mai Ling and Poppy and the harder his dick got. What the hell? Might as well rub one off. He’d probably sleep better any way. His pajama pants were loose, he kept lube nearby and remembering the dual massage from Mai Ling and Poppy was fueling his lust. Yep he’d call in the morning. 

Castiel did not understand why he slept so poorly that night. It didn’t help that he kept looking at his messages and making sure the sound was on and working. He was not in a great mood when he got up, but decided to work from home setting up Dean’s next visit. He wanted to make sure all the props were ready and the twins were on standby and ready to come at a moment’s notice. This scene was going to be simple and nostalgic; a throwback to what could have been a fantasy from high school.

Dean slept a little later than usual, checked all his messages, making sure there were no work issues that needed to be dealt with. Mildred had cleared his schedule for Monday morning so he could reorganize for the week ahead; bless her, so for today he was free. Dean pulled up Seraglio’s site and revisited the offerings available and still couldn’t decide as there were too many choices. Wasn’t Cas going to plan for him anyway. Wouldn’t hurt to call. He pulled up the ECHO Cas had given him and entered his own code.

Castiel had double checked all the details for the next several set-ups for Dean and was checking his messages again when Dean’s ECHO appeared. Castiel answered the communication, verbally, relieved that he did not have to wait any longer for Dean to contact him.

“Hello Dean.”

“Heya Cas. Thought I’d call and see if you have anything…um for me.”

“Yes Dean we do. Would you like to come over now? The arrangements have been made.”

“Right now? I mean you have something ready?”

“Yes Dean.”

“Okay, well give me thirty and I can be there, is that all right?”

“Yes Dean. We will be ready for you.” Dean had been sitting in his pajamas, sipping coffee while he managed his communications and schedule. He turned things off, showered and made his way to the tube station. He was at the entrance to Seraglio and punched in his code in exactly twenty eight minutes. The droid gave him the choice of meeting with his guide first or going directly to his appointed venue. Dean assumed he didn’t need a lot of prep, he knew to just punch his code in the shuttle so he chose the direct option. The shuttle stopped in front of an open staging area where he was ushered in and given a football uniform to change into, shoulder pads, jock strap and all. Then the shuttle took him to another glass front venue that looked larger than the one from a few days ago. He got out, entered his code and ECHO into the display and the partition opened on to what looked like a partial set of bleachers to one side and a corner of a football field on the other. In front of the stands were two blonde, ponytailed, honest to God, twins who were bouncing up and down in short skirts and waving their pom poms.

“Dean, Dean he’s our man. If he can’t stop them no one can. YEEAAY DEAN!” One twin did a round off; the other did air splits and after jumping again fell into a split position on the ground. The twins then bounced their way over to Dean, perky breasts bobbing up and down, short skirts showing off lots of leg and skimpy panties underneath.

“Dean you were so awesome today. Way to wear them down.”

“Yeah baby, you did so good for us today. Knew you would win it for us.”

They had their hands all over him, fighting between them for access to his lips and pouting when one was getting more attention than the other. They were playing the game of ‘who Dean likes best’ when he joined in with his normal flirty self, “Girls, girls, please? There’s enough of me to go around, and besides we have all day, game being over and all.”

After several minutes of playing handsy, lots of squealing and competing for Dean’s attention, one of the twins pulled Dean by the hand and snuck under the bleachers. The ground there was covered with grass but was unusually soft and Dean thought ‘the fucker thinks of everything. How does he do that?’

Cas was in his office in front of the monitor and messaging the kitchen to send in the hot dogs, nachos and beer for when he expected an intermission in today’s activities. Dean seemed pleased and in his element. What Cas observed on the monitors prompted him to believe today was already a success. He hoped Dean would like what he had in store for him next.


	4. Sex on the Beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel plans another sexcapade for Dean

Castiel and his brethren had been working in an underground network for the last fifty years, since the Apocalypse had been averted. His personal task was to follow the descendants of ‘the righteous man’ until such time as his leaders deemed it necessary to enlist their help. Dean was Castiel’s ward, his brother Gabriel watched over Sam and his children. There were no other known direct descendant’s that had survived the monster wars in 2021. It was at that time that The Alliance had formed with sweeping changes that allowed all life forms to live in peace. The Alliance was the central government that assisted the outlying nations or provinces in their endeavors to keep the peace between all of the known life forms. There were heavy concentrations of werefolk in the northern Nation of the Bear and Wolf, the demons from the south had been mostly rehabilitated after they underwent multiple transfusions of human blood and were required to go in quarterly for a maintenance liter or two provided by The Alliance. The Emirate of the Eastern Path of Glory controlled a large pocket of shape shifters who had been converted heavily into the entertainment business. Vampire nests on the west coast were helping to train in the main medical college and had a lot of new converts that assisted in research. All supernatural life forms were required to register with the Alliance to maintain safety in the provinces. Dean’s family had been one of the last generations of hunter’s that had helped to control any aggressive behavior, like murders and mayhem by the alternate life forms. If they did not comply they were either eradicated, sent to purgatory or funneled in to the slave market. After years of weeding out the most aggressive offenders the peacekeepers and soldiers were still ever present but not as active. The compliance rate had gone way up with the newly established surveillance in both public and private areas. Certain types of businesses were now under control of the government or had been totally abolished. There were no more public alcohol stations and here in Alliance City prostitution was essentially legal, being controlled by the scientific community like at Seraglio. No one talked about it much; it was new with major advances daily. Seraglio was the penultimate model for others and was leading the way in new technology.

The treaty was signed at the end of the war with all of the heads of state, local governing officials, and representatives from all of the supernatural factions with only one delegate from Heaven. The angels had gone fully underground soon after, working behind the scenes to facilitate peace and getting Heaven’s objectives met. Time was relative to them, they were the ancients and at the time of the treaty they had become few in numbers after many were annihilated in the years surrounding the monster wars. They had lost favor with humans and supernatural alike due to their lack of compassion and aggressive acts on earth, killing many innocents making the angels just another form of monster. They also warred heavily with countless losses within their own family, so much so that there were very few left. The angels that were left had assimilated themselves so well into society that they were mostly unnoticed and lived alongside all the earth dwelling species. Some had married into the human race with Nephilim for offspring, others like Castiel held to the ancient purpose they were designed for, to watch over the humans and protect them as God had commissioned them. Castiel had observed the humans for millennia and walked the earth before man evolved with one purpose. His ward would be a ‘righteous man’ and he was to guide and protect him and his offspring as long as one of them drew breath. When the apocalypse was averted, Castiel turned his focus to research, with humans as his main subject. He had really made advances into manipulating their minds, libidos and psyches, allowing humans to enjoy a peaceful existence during their lifetimes. Peace was easier when men were less aggressive and Castiel had found that a sexually satisfied person was more compliant and felt less need to rebel or act out. The imagination of the human mind made his job both difficult and easy. 

Some humans had experienced hurt, abandonment, abuse or were just mindfucked to the point where they could find no peace or lashed out. Others were more complacent, had been treated well in life and so were easier to read and then please. The easy ones were no challenge to Castiel and he left them to his colleagues. Castiel knew that there was something deeper going on with Dean. For one he had not developed any lasting attachments except to his family, his brother Sam and a small circle of friends, most of whom had not survived the wars. His dating life was checkered and varied as he flitted from one conquest to another and never looked back. Dean had capacity for love and would fiercely protect you if you were in his inner circle, but what Castiel could not understand was why Dean had not made any lasting romantic attachments. He had never dated anyone more than a few weeks time, and there were only a couple of those relationships. There were a few women he had seen more than once over several years. Those were women he had met when on the road as a hunter and would stop to see them when passing through. His male partners had only been casual hookups, just sex, never more than once and it was not common knowledge that he had been interested in males until after his father had died. Dean had idealized his parent’s relationship and Castiel felt that Dean had very unresolved issues about women that directly related to the loss of his mother at age four. The monster that had killed his mother had eventually also killed his father after hunting him for years. His death occurred right in front of him and he was sure Dean carried around a lot of guilt related to that incident as he was not able to save him. Right now Castiel’s focus was to give Dean pleasure and comfort, only then he could delve deeper into his psyche and hopefully heal old wounds. Today he was needed in the new staff processing area. They had a large shipment of slaves coming in and Castiel always helped to evaluate how to best use them. Today’s shipment was mostly human, but there were several lycanthropes from the northern province who would take special consideration.

Werewolves were no longer pure; most had been inbred so much that there were very few that turned fully into the wolf form, but with their special senses had been quite sought after in sexplay due to their animalistic abilities. They were actually quite tame when they had frequent opportunity to copulate and at Seraglio they were easily assimilated as they were in high demand. The human slaves were either there by choice or necessity, either paying off debt or choosing to enter the life as a career, many of them staying well past paying off their indebtedness as they enjoyed the lifestyle and being well cared for. Some were adopted as pets that went to private homes. The pet trade was a more recent development that Castiel had initiated when he observed certain clientele getting attached to their favorites, so in both parties best interest he facilitated placement into private homes. These relationships appeared to thrive on the outside and he had instituted home visits to insure that the pets were well taken care of. There were only a handful of adopted pets at this time, but several others were being groomed for eventual placement. It was also at Castiel’s hand that there had been such great advancements in the android development for Seraglio. Castiel’s current endeavor and main focus was to develop androids that could fulfill pleasures that were imagined but hard to execute with flesh and blood. God had designed man and Castiel was designing man’s ultimate companion by studying the interplay between sexual partnerships and the activities they participated in. Castiel believed that the dissatisfaction of the masses was due to their poor understanding of their own sexual needs as well as how to meet the need with or without help. Dean was special in that he was not only Castiel’s responsibility; he was also his greatest challenge. The challenge was to find the deep darkness within the man and purge it. Castiel wanted to find Dean a mate, but could not until he completed his thorough investigation.

Dean had requested another visit for the weekend and Castiel had already designed the set and enlisted workers. Dean was to arrive early Saturday evening to start a twenty four hour experience. This scene was designed mostly for relaxation unlike the energetic scenes from last week. Castiel wanted Dean at peace, his emotions petted and stroked into a calmness that would help to bring him to another level in his journey. Castiel needed him to be ready for the android experience and knew that Dean would be more likely to be accepting of it after he was sexually fulfilled and sated. Castiel’s week would be busy with the new slaves and was glad he had something to occupy his attention until the weekend.

Dean’s week had started out great. Monday morning had gone so smoothly, thanks to Mildred’s rearranging his schedule. There were a lot of short meetings this week, and as emissaries came and went there was a lot of prep work, handshaking, egos to be placated and general chaos to contain. He was glad he had scheduled his weekend at Seraglio already and was anticipating it with a level of excitation he had not experienced in a long time. The twins had solidified his admiration for Cas’ handiwork. The dude was a mind reader or psychic at least. He’d never been able to figure out what he was but Dean was sure he was not wholly human, but at least the guy was a fucking genius in his book. He was going to have to send his friend Tran a bottle of good scotch and for Cas, well he’d try to find something the guy liked to let him know how much he appreciated his very special visits. Saturday was too far away, but he had something to look forward to all week.

Saturday morning Castiel put the finishing touches on Dean’s fantasy. They were in the large bunker area and the stage was nearly complete. The food would be brought in last and replenished as needed. When he was satisfied he went to get some rest before the main event started. Dean had time to sleep in Saturday morning and finished up odds and ends for work to occupy his mind the rest of the day. He talked to Sam for a while and promised to come visit his niece and nephew soon. Sam would have Jessica call him with a plan, hopefully the next weekend, maybe cook burgers. By 1600 Dean had run out of things to do, had cleaned his whole apartment and the service had already cleaned this week. Finally at 1730, Dean couldn’t wait any longer and took the tube to Seraglio. The droid at the desk asked dutifully if he needed to see his guide or go straight to his appointment. When he was assured they were ready for him, even though he was early, he chose to go straight to the venue. The shuttle took him to the area he remembered as being very large and Dean was even more excited as he quickly punched in his code. Dean was surprised to walk directly into thick, tropical brush and trees that were blocking his view. He pushed his way through and walked out and onto a sandy beach with what appeared to be an honest to God ocean, going all the way out to the horizon with a blue sky overhead. He felt a warm breeze on his skin, the sun was bright overhead and fuck if those seagulls didn’t look and sound real. He could see them diving down for fish out past the breakers; the sea was relatively calm, like in a lagoon and the waves were gently and repetitively washing up on the shore. Dean bent down to unlace his shoes, he was way overdressed for this, and he couldn’t wait to get his toes in the sand. He walked down to the water’s edge and got his feet wet, letting the warm water with patches of foam lap at them. 

Castiel was ecstatic. Dean was immersing himself in the experience and was making no effort to look for any possible companion as of yet. He watched him bend over, pick up a few shells and wade along the water’s edge, just looking out at the ocean for several minutes. He waited to cue Leilani after a few more minutes allowing Dean his quiet reverie. The Polynesian beauty had long black hair, almond shaped eyes, and a sarong slung low over her very curvaceous hips. Her breasts were covered only by her long locks which only became noticeable as she came within a few feet of the stranded white man. There were no other voices, no villagers to harass them so when Dean took Leilani’s out stretched hand, he followed her into the solitude of a very basic and yet well supplied hut. There she undressed him, and then they returned to the ocean to bathe. She was very beautiful, ageless with a childlike demeanor, laughing at his antics as they played in the surf. There was not a lot of need for talk but Dean became aware that she did not understand him when he spoke and they reverted to making signs and touching to communicate. Initially Dean forgot that this was supposed to be about sex and it wasn’t until they had finished a light meal left by a blanket on the beach that he was overcome with desire for the beautiful, brown skinned girl. They lay naked in the sun, touching each other, tentatively at first and then when Dean traced the outline of her plump lips with his finger he had to kiss her. She seemed so innocent and accepting and he could be nothing but gentle with her. 

If Castiel was one to look for accolades he was sure at that moment that someone should be applauding him. Knowing Dean was as relaxed as he was gave him a sense of accomplishment that he had not felt in a long while. Leilani was playing her part well, she had been flown in especially for today and Castiel knew he had chosen well. She was a real beauty but the only one Cas really saw was the green eyed beauty, with the blonde hair and perfect form. The other venues had not highlighted the tone of Dean’s skin like this one. His skin was smooth and tawny, muscles were well defined and yet for such a masculine man there was a sort of prettiness, a little softness around the edges that Castiel found to be more attractive than any male specimen he had ever looked at. Dean was breathtaking and Castiel felt his human vessel responding to the sight of him. The longer he watched the harder he got and he was beginning to be very uncomfortable in his clothes. His pants were becoming painfully tight and he had to shift in his seat. He did not want to take his eyes off of Dean, had been watching close up views, but he was getting too hard for comfort and there was an obvious wet spot on his trousers. Castiel was alone in his office with the monitors; his staff had everything under control and working smoothly. He instructed the standby staff to alert him if anything untoward happened so that he could take his eyes off the screen for just a moment. He got up and took a few steps which did not help at all, nothing to do but give in to his vessels baser instincts. He collected some tissue and eased back into his desk chair after he unzipped and released his erection into his palm. The head was reddening, leaking and as he touched the slit he shivered with the feel of it. Dean was fucking Leilani slowly and softly and all Castiel could see was himself lying under Dean and wished that he was the one being fucked. That thought and the feel of his hand gripping and pulling on his cock had him coming within minutes, finishing long before the couple on the beach. Dean was relaxed just like Cas had planned and now Castiel was…well he was fucked and not in the way he wanted.


	5. Mom's Apple Pie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas uses non traditional therapy to help Dean. Dean starts to notice Cas. BE WARNED MORE TAGS ADDED. ADDITIONAL KINK. Cas did it, not me.

Cas’ was torn between being pleased that he had given Dean such a relaxing fantasy and his mounting desire to be with the man himself. He had watched the beach scene play out for the whole twenty four hours and had suffered through watching Dean and Leilani copulate, play, sleep and repeat and all without any rest. He berated himself for his weakness and giving into his vessel’s physiologic response. Living with very little grace made him more like a human than an angel and he was experiencing more and more of the frailties of the human form.

Things had changed on earth, there had been a lot of interspecies breeding even some of the angels had taken human mates and were procreating without interference from heaven. Castiel and his siblings, the archangels, had remained unmated if not celibate. Their focus had always been to rid the earth of evil, at first protecting humans and then intervening when there was a mass exodus of angels out of heaven to the earth. Initially they had worked beside the hunters to ferret out the lawless and punish them by sending them to the furnaces in hell. The angel hierarchy had fallen into disarray with all the noise and confusion during the monster wars. When peace was made and The Alliance of the Nine Moons was formed, the angels went underground seeking out their kin and developed a network of their own. To assimilate themselves they had taken positions of influence within major areas of importance to the Alliance but remained covert in their involvement. They communicated frequently and would meet in Alliance City quarterly to coordinate their efforts. In the beginning they agreed to guide mankind by controlling and improving the most basic of human needs. The method was proving to be very successful as the prevailing mood in the provinces was one of calm with acts of violence being reported less and less. 

There was no true leader of the angels, however the archangels had more power and were revered for their age and skill by the lesser seraphim and cherubim. Castiel and his siblings had been schooled by attending centers of learning and research in all areas of human knowledge. They then infiltrated businesses and organizations in order to exert their influence for the greater good of mankind. Castiel had trained in religion, human sexuality, psychology, and biotronics leading him to found Seraglio. He made sure that even though he basically ran and owned it, there were others board members that were prominent in the public eye, leaving him the ability to focus on his work.

The premise they were following was that if mankind and other lifeforms were satisfied with all of their basic needs met, then peace could be kept on earth. They divided the labor based on their unique abilities and insight and were trained thusly. Gabriel was in charge of the basic need of food and nourishment. He had developed a network of food and supply sharing which decreased the need for actual money changing hands. Cottage gardens dotted the provinces and the different locales would trade for commodities special to their unique resources. All of this had to be managed somehow by training and enlisting people to make it work. Hannah had headed the project Dreamscape that researched and facilitated sleep and rest. Herbal remedies, soothing noise machines, special bedding and drugs that would enhance sleep without side effects were being explored at several research sites. Raphael was in charge of Shelter for All that was developing low cost housing, tiered homes, home sharing projects in which larger homes with fewer inhabitants were encouraged to share their homes, and facilitated usage of special pods for areas of dense population. Anna was in charge of procreation and breeding. Her center was near the medical schools in the province of The Seven Western Eagles. Her research and Inais’ overlapped as he was involved with medical research and prevention of illness. Companion Find was Balthazar’s baby. He was in charge of Cupid and the cherubs, and not surprisingly Bacchus and the wine industries. The alcohol availability was still a work in progress. When the alcohol stations were outlawed, alcohol had become less dangerous and the newer wines and hard spirits created many more happy drunks than mean ones. They were still working on prevention of alcoholism and were currently testing an additive that would put you to sleep if you drank over your quota. They were having a hard time getting the additive to not also cause side effects like flatulence and loose stools. Some of the test subjects had woken up in a mess the morning after and so they ditched that particular prototype.

This left Castiel two main areas, sex and psychological aberrancies. His interest in humankind had driven him to that area, but the android endeavor came out of his desire to create. He knew his creations would never be as utterly marvelous and wonderfully made as God’s and yet he believed his work in that area could be of use in therapy. He planned to use the androids to test some theories he had about the human psyche and how to heal injured and troubled souls. Dean’s personal android was not quite ready and so he had something else special planned for him this week. It was Wednesday and he had not heard from Dean at all since he left Seraglio on Sunday. He was not a little disappointed that Dean had not come to see him personally since his therapy had begun. Castiel had made himself available to the ex hunter and yet their communications had been infrequent and brief. He planned to prepare Dean a little before his next appointment as Castiel knew that it might hit too close to the darkness inside him. He was afraid that Dean would not respond well, and so he would be treading softly with this session and would be ready to intervene if Dean was emotionally unable to handle it. Castiel’s hope was that Dean would embrace it and yield to the comfort that was offered. If Dean could acknowledge his needs and face them he could begin to heal.

Dean was having an awesome week at work. Everything kept falling in to place with his direction and by the end of the week Dean was extremely satisfied and proud of how much he had accomplished. Sam called and they chatted for a while. Jessica was planning a get together at their home on the weekend and invited Dean out to spend the day. Sam had done very well and they lived on the outskirts of the city in a sprawling ranch type home complete with two dogs and a koi pond. Dean loved going out there and it had been a long time since he had seen Mary Dean and John Robert his niece and nephew. By mid week he had sent Tran that bottle of scotch but he had yet to figure out what to send that Cas dude. Maybe next time he visited Seraglio he would take him something. The weekend with Leilani had given him no small measure of peace; he was sure that was why work had gone so much better and even Mildred had noticed. She had made a couple of comments with a knowing smile on her face. How did she do that? She could always read him so well.

“So Dean are you going to tell me who it is I’m so jealous of? You have been looking like the cat that ate the canary all week.” Dean just laughed it off and redirected her focus back to work. He was not ready to talk about how well things were going and why. So it was no surprise to him that Sam picked up on it during his visit.

“What’s new Dean?”

“Nothin’ much. Same old same old at work. You know like preventing wars and shit.”

“I meant outside of work. You seeing someone?”

“No Sammy, not seeing anyone. You know me; it’s not some ‘one’. More like how many.”

“Dean?”

“So I got laid. Several times. Just basking in the afterglow man. Feelin’ good.”

“Yeah, but you’re more relaxed than I’ve seen you in a long time. Something’s different.”

“Yeah, I had sex with someone different and then another someone different. ‘Kay. Just feeling good.” The last was said with a large toothy smile as he raised his beer bottle and clinked it against Sam’s. Jessica had them on grill duty and the kids were running around with the two dogs in the backyard, squealing when the dogs would tag them. Jessica noticed the change in Dean’s demeanor and asked Sam if he had found out anything. “No, you know Dean. Probably wouldn’t tell me about anything good, not a real sharer.”

Castiel checked his messages multiple times a day and by Saturday night had given up on hearing from Dean. Cas’ used some of Seraglio’s intel to ascertain that Dean was at his brother’s which enabled him to relax a little. He had been anxious to see how Dean would respond and was disappointed he would have to wait. He spent time doing a test run with Dean’s android and the performance was phenomenal. The werefolk trainer had good results to report. This new batch was not plagued with aggressive behavior and their training was going smoothly. Castiel tried to keep busy all week; there were a lot of things he had been neglecting since he started working with Dean. He had well trained staff, mostly approved or handpicked by him who were for the most part doing fine without him. He found he actually had free time on his hands and didn’t know what to do with himself. Even though he had committed most of Dean’s information to memory, he found that he was drawn to perusing images that had been gathered and sat for hours poring over them. He could access the image feed from the center and found himself replaying last week’s beach scene over and over. The viewing left him in the same predicament that he’d been at during the live event. Hard, alone and frustrated.

Dean messaged Cas on Thursday. He had convinced himself earlier in the week that he was good to go for now. He didn’t need to utilize Seraglio’s services all of the time; he’d never had to pay for it before. Besides it was just sex. Freakin’ awesome sex, but he didn’t need it. He could go without it. By Thursday Mildred pointed out, in her not too subtle way, that he needed to get laid again and that she would help him out if no one else would. So Dean messaged Cas, who responded almost immediately, and requested that Dean set up an appointment with him first, a sort of check in, to see how he felt about the experience, a chance for Dean to give Seraglio feedback on the quality of their services. Dean arrived promptly at three Saturday afternoon at Cas’ office with a gift bag in hand. Cas’ actually fucking smiled when he opened it which gave Dean a warm feeling in his gut. His previous demeanor had led him to believe that Cas was some sort of emotionless nerd, you know extremely smart but no fuckin’ clue about how to relate to people.

Cas pulled out a large jar of honey and some herbal teas tied up in small packets. “Dean, how did you…you didn’t need to. I love it,” he spluttered.

“Well I remember seeing a cup of tea by your desk last time and I was at my brother’s this weekend. He lives kinda out of the city and there’s this farmer’s market, so I um…wanted to get you something. It’s not much…”

“It was very thoughtful Dean. You are very observant.”

“I would have gotten you a nice bottle of wine or booze. Didn’t know if you drank, so I um…So you really like it?”

Cas was practically beaming and Dean was thinking. Fuck this dude’s really good looking. He’d been too nervous to notice before and the dude had been so serious when they met. And where were his fucking glasses? They weren’t there to cover up those piercingly bright blue eyes today. When he smiled Dean noticed the crinkles around said blue eyes and that his lips looked chapped but soft. Maybe the dude was for real. 

“I love it Dean. Thank you.” He motioned for Dean to sit and asked what he thought so far about his experience at Seraglio. Dean raved about the place for a few minutes and then said, “Dude what are you? A friggin mind reader? Seriously you psychic or something?”

Cas was feeling a little pleased with himself. He had given this damaged human some pleasure and he hoped today’s therapy would loosen him up even more. “I’m glad you are enjoying yourself Dean.”

Dean couldn’t help it, but fuck if that deep gravelly voice didn’t do something to him. He had noticed his voice before, just as an observation, but today, today there was something extra there. There was some sort of quality to his voice that caused Dean to crave more of it, so he asked questions just to hear him talk. “So how do you do it? I mean like I couldn’t have imagined anything better. It’s seriously like you’re in my head.”

“Well, I have been studying you Dean. We do our research first in order to design an experience just for you. How do you feel today? It’s been a while since you visited.” Cas hoped that Dean took the question as basic information gathering and did not catch the wistful lilt to his voice. “I see you dressed comfortably for today and I trust you followed the rest of the instructions to not eat this afternoon?”

Dean had done as requested and was wearing jeans, a comfortable t shirt and sneakers. He had eaten a light breakfast and no lunch. “Yeah, um just toast and coffee for breakfast.” Then he told him a little about how things had deteriorated this week and that coming to Seraglio had relaxed him a lot, but then he began to miss it as the week progressed. Cas was always reassured to hear Dean admit to the progress they were making. He was sure today had the potential to go very well, but was still a little apprehensive.

“Do you trust me?” Castiel made sure his demeanor was not aggressive, but open and tried to maintain eye contact as much as possible. In his research he learned to read faces for telling signs of people’s emotions and understanding. Eyebrow movement, the set of the mouth, symmetry of each expression, and being comfortable with eye contact were all measurable.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you have praise for our efforts so far, am I correct?”

“Yeah, yeah it’s been awesome.”

“So do you trust me to give you more good experiences?”

“Well yeah, but you’re freakin’ me out a little. What are you planning?”

“If I told you that would ruin the surprise. Didn’t you like that element to your visits? Not knowing what to expect when you get here. Hasn’t that been part of the enjoyment?”

“Well, yeah. Really that part was great, but what’s different about today?” Dean’s spidey senses detected a change in Cas’ demeanor and was beginning to worry about why he needed to ask about trust.

“Dean, I assure you that it’s nothing to worry about, but want to prepare you a little bit today. You will understand our requests for specific wardrobe items as well as abstaining from an excess of food today when you arrive at your venue. The experience last time was very relaxing, am I correct, and you seemed to immerse yourself in the experience without any hesitation?”

“Yes, yeah um it was great, but why are you warning me?”

“I want to you to stay at ease for this experience and just want to ask that if you trust me you will promise to go in to this with an open mind. You will derive the most benefit if you stay relaxed, so if you feel anxious I want you to take deep breaths and relax your mind. I believe you will enjoy today much more than anything you have experienced before. It will be a little disconcerting at first. Please promise me you will give it a chance, won’t you?” Dean was intrigued now and knew he was in for almost anything this guy had to dish out, especially when he asked so nicely in that voice of his.

“Um, okay. I mean everything so far has been awesome and you say this is going to be better? So yeah, I’ll try to keep an open mind.”

“Good, excellent, excellent. I have one more request…I would like for you to do an exit interview tomorrow. It will be short. I just want to see how you feel after, all right?”

“Um yeah, no sweat. I’ll stop by after.”

Castiel walked Dean out to the shuttle and watched him get in. “Good bye Dean.”

“Bye Cas. Thanks.”

Dean couldn’t help the gnawing sense in his gut that this was some sort of set up. He had been wondering why he had not been set up with any guys, but the sex was so good he had mostly forgotten that. He just hoped it wasn’t a sex droid or some other life form. Monsters, even tame ones, would never be acceptable to him. There was that one redheaded angel, but he didn’t do demons or any of that werewolf crap. Before he could work up to a good worry he had reached his destination and felt the butterflies in his gut taking flight.

When the door opened Dean found himself in what appeared to be a living room in an older home. Something about it was familiar, was it Déjà vu, or was it…? The house smelled like home, warmth, safe, family. He could smell the combined aromas of cinnamon and coffee permeating the room. He heard a voice call out, “Dean, baby? Is that you? Come on in the kitchen baby?”

No, it couldn’t be…how could it be? Dean was rooted to the spot, curious but unable to move. 

A blonde woman in a flowered dress and apron came from the back of the house wiping her hands on a towel.

“Dean? Come on in the kitchen. I’ll make you some lunch baby. Just finishing up some pies, they’re almost ready to put in the oven. Guess which kind?”

Dean’s mouth was dry and his heart was beating out of his chest. He couldn’t speak. He was overwhelmed with emotion. His heart was saying ‘Mom. Mom. Mom.’ but his mind was screaming ‘It can’t be.’

“Oh, sweetie come here. What’s wrong?” The woman who’s appearance was as close to his mother’s as he could remember came forward and enveloped him in her arms and pulled his head to her chest. “Baby, Mommy’s here. It can’t be that bad? Why don’t you come in the kitchen and let me make you a grilled cheese, ‘kay?”

His mom just held him swaying back and forth for a few minutes, petting his head and coaxing him softly. “You’d like that wouldn’t you? First you can help me finish the pies, okay? They’re apple, your favorite.”

She tilted his chin up and kissed the tip of his nose, “Come on then.” Dean was still speechless but he willingly took her proffered hand and walked quietly into the kitchen with her. This is the kitchen he remembered growing up in; the house was exactly like the one he had lived in. Flour, sugar and apple peelings littered the countertops and there were two pie tins already lined with unbaked crusts.

“I know you like helping Mommy bake. Wash your hands first and we’ll tie this around you.” She held up one of her aprons and tied it around his neck and tucked the ends in his back pockets. “There, now you won’t get any on your clothes.” Dean was still silent, watching her with wide eyes and sneaking small glances at her side ways. She bumped her hip against him, “Cat got your tongue baby? Tell Mommy what you and Timmy did outside.”

Dean was trying to string two coherent thoughts together and finally had a flash of memory about playing outside, playing hide and seek, one of his few pleasant childhood memories.

“Um, hide and seek.”

“Well who won?”

“I uh, no one we just kept playing until Timmy’s mom made him come in.”

“Well it is lunchtime. How about we get these pies in the oven and then we can make that sandwich?”

Dean noticed the radio playing in the background, his mom danced as she helped Dean lay the strips of raw pie dough over the mounds of apple and cinnamon. She kept touching him, a hand on the small of his back, a squeeze on his arm, a boop on the nose with floury hands and then showing him his face in the toaster. Dean’s heart rate calmed and he remembered what Cas said about just going with it and he decided to follow his mom’s lead. He helped her assemble the sandwiches and soon they were sitting at the table close to the kitchen enjoying the melty cheese sandwiches. Dean remembered always feeling loved in his mom’s presence but had forgotten how much she had touched him. She kept reaching out to pat his hand, or shoulder and it felt natural to him. It certainly did not looked staged or forced and Dean began to forget that he wasn’t a four year old, eating and baking pies with his mom.

Mary chatted the whole time when Dean would be quiet, talked about just little things, things she had seen, places she had been. Dean was mesmerized by her and felt cocooned and safer than he had in years. When they finished cleaning up she took him by the hand and sighed, “Well I’m tired baby. Let’s go lay down for a while. Mommy needs to rest. Come with me?” Dean just nodded and took her hand as they went up the stairs to her bedroom.

“Take your shoes off baby, gonna lay down for a while.” Mary lay up on the pillows and motioned for Dean to lay his head on her shoulder. He went to her easily; laid his head down enjoying her warmth next to him and savoring her touch and smell. Mary pulled a throw blanket over them and they lay there for just a few minutes before the sound of their steady breathing lulled them to sleep.

When Dean woke Mary was gone and the next thing he noticed was that something smelled really good. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and stretched. He couldn’t remember when he had taken a midday nap. He padded to the bathroom to relieve himself and tried to open some of the other doors to the bedrooms, the only one that opened was to his bedroom. He explored a little and wandered around the room picking up toys and books, testing the bed and marveling at how much it really looked and smelled like home.

“Dean baby, you up?” came Mary’s voice up the stairwell.

“Yeah, I’m up.”

“You hungry? Come on down, supper’s almost ready.”

Hell yeah, he was hungry. Something smelled good and if he had it right, it smelled like his mom’s pot roast. He practically ran down the stairs in to the kitchen. The pies were sitting on the counter and his mom was bent over the open oven door and pulling a large roasting pan out. She then closed the door with her hip and said, “Hey baby. Didja have a good nap?”

“Mmmm. The best. Smells good in here.”

“Almost ready. You hungry?” Dean grinned, he was always hungry. The meal was delicious and it wasn’t until Dean was on his second piece of pie that he wondered out loud, “So where um, where’s Dad?”

“Had to work babe, gone to Kansas City for parts. Be back late tomorrow.” Dean didn’t really know why he asked, but his mom had a sad look on her face when she replied.

“I’ll take care of you Mom.” Dean got up and hugged his mom tightly. “I love you Mommy. I’ll stay with you.” She ruffled his hair, squeezed him into a hard hug. “Thanks baby. Mommy loves you too. Wadda ya say we clean this up and watch some T.V.?”

After snuggling on the couch and watching cartoons for a couple of hours Mary brushed the top of his head with her hand and said, “Okay buddy. Time for your bath and then to bed.” 

“ ‘M not sleepy.”

“Well sleepy or not, you are getting a bath. Then how about I read to you until you feel sleepy?”

Dean decided to just go with it, “Okay…if I hafta.”

Mary started the water in the tub of the big hallway bathroom, adding Mr. Bubbles from a large pink bottle, and then laid out some pajamas and a big towel. Dean waited on her to leave so he could undress. “Dean. Let’s not put this off any longer. Go ahead and get undressed.” Dean was not undressing in front of her, just too weird. “Buddy, I’ve seen it all before and you are not getting out of this. So get a move on. Chop chop.”

From the stern look on her face Dean decided he didn’t want to fight about it or disappoint her. What the heck? No big deal right? She bent over to test the water and grabbed a couple of bath toys nearby, ships and floaty animals. “C’mon bud. Hop in.”

Dean slid down into the water. It felt good, it had been a while since he’d had a tub bath, his apartment had a huge walk in, hi tech shower with auto temp control and multiple shower heads. This was nice, to be taken care of. Something he had not experienced in a looong time. Mary pulled up a stool and got a wash cloth. Dean just relaxed for a while letting her scrub his back and then wash his hair, pouring water over his head to rinse. By the time she was finished helping him scrub down, Dean had gotten interested in the battleships and giant lizard water monsters fighting a battle on the sea that was his bath water. Mary got up and let him know what she expected. “Go ahead and play for a little while Dean. Ten minutes and then you have to get out. I’ll be back in ten.”

“ ‘Kay Mom.” Dean was too distracted by the war in the tub to even notice she was leaving. He was still sinking the monsters when she came back in her night gown. “Okay buddy. Time to get out.”

“Can’t now. Too many monsters left.”

“ Dean. Out. Now.” Dean huffed as he reluctantly gathered his toys into the basket and stood up. Anyway the water had cooled off and his fingers had gotten wrinkly, so he stood there dripping as Mary held a towel open for him to climb into. She rubbed him down roughly, shaking him in a teasing way until he giggled. She helped him with his pajamas, pulling the top over his head and lending a hand for him for support as he put the bottoms on. “Now brush your teeth and then hop in bed. Be there in a minute bud.” She picked up the wet towels and walked out. Dean did as he was told and crawled into bed.

“Have you picked a book out yet sweetheart?” Dean shook his head and Mary picked two of his favorites and climbed in the bed with him, sat with her back against the headboard and pulled him in to her chest and wrapped her arms around him and began, “Once upon a time there was an evil witch…” Dean had snuggled in and listened with rapt attention.

Cas was in his control room fidgeting as he watched the screen. The girl he had hired was excellent. She had learned and played her part flawlessly. Next came the hard part. Dean was obviously relaxed and in the moment. Castiel knew that Dean would benefit from this chosen therapy; he just hoped he didn’t balk at the way it was introduced. Dean needed this. Please, please, just go along with it.

Mary was watching Dean as she read softly occasionally pausing to engage him in the story by asking him questions. The light in the room was soft with only a bedside lamp shedding enough light to read by. Dean was snuggled into his mom’s side, his head supported by her arm. She finished the second book and put it on the bedside table.

“Will you read another? Pleeease?”

“No baby. ‘s getting late. Let’s get you settled in, ‘kay?

Dean did not want her to leave and clung to her warm body. “Not going anywhere yet baby, here…” She situated him where he was almost draped across her lap; head supported in the crook of her arm and unbuttoned the front of her nightgown exposing the breast closest to him. “Here baby, know you need it. Can’t have you waking up hungry in the middle of the night” She nudged his mouth by holding the nipple close to his lips and rubbing it gently in between them. Dean looked at her with hooded eyes and parted his lips. “That’s my baby. Open up a little more for Mommy.” Dean opened his mouth wider and latched on tentatively at first and then after a few drops of the warm liquid hit his tongue he started suckling in earnest. Mary hummed as she held him, stroking his cheek and petting the back of his head. Dean settled in, both of them relaxed and the only sounds were of them breathing and the melody of ‘Hey Jude’ vibrating through her lips.

Dean fell in to a steady rhythm that kept drawing the sweet milk into his mouth across his tongue. He was so blissed out that he really didn’t notice that he was getting hard. He just felt good. Mary noticed. She rubbed his belly in soft smooth circles, petted his bottom, squeezing it softly. None of it would have even looked sexual; all of the touching was nothing more than any mother would do when nursing a babe. Dean was getting harder, his erection tenting the front of the soft stretchy material of his pajamas, a wet patch soon becoming noticeable. It was instinctual for him to seek friction and he started to rub himself against Mary’s thigh with a small whine making its way out around her nipple where he was firmly attached. Mary bent and whispered softly to Dean, “Dean, time to switch baby.” He lifted his eyes to hers and hummed a little on to her skin, released her nipple, noting a little milk still dripping from it. He mouthed her nipple and sucked the last bit off.  
She helped to get him on her other side and situated him onto the other breast. Once he was settled in to a good rhythm, Mary brushed over his erection softly through the material. She moved the flat of her hand over it, cupped it and stroked him up and down. When he started whining and canting his hips up into her hand she murmured, “ ‘s okay, baby. Mommy’s going to take good care of her baby boy.”

She pulled the front of his pajamas down and laid a small towel on her nightgown, under him. She traced her finger along the slit on the top, gathering the clear liquid and running it up and down his shaft with soft soothing touches. Dean never quit suckling, only pausing at times to readjust so he could breathe. His hips were starting to shake and he was canting them again seeking more friction. Mary kissed the top of his head and reached for a pink bottle of lotion that smelled distinctly like baby powder and rubbed some into her hand to warm it. She then grasped him and started to stroke him slowly but firmly, giving Dean the friction that he craved. They fell into a gentle rhythm, Mary being sensitive to his movements, always watching him for his reactions. She laid soft sweet kisses on his head and used her chin to rub the top of it. Dean was getting close, she knew as his sucking was deeper and his humming was louder. He was rutting into her hand with force when she leaned into his ear and crooned, “Come for Mommy, baby boy. Mommy needs you to come for her. Can you do that for your Mommy? Dean come for me.”

Dean’s hips stuttered and he came hard shooting white streams as he spasmed, most of it going on the well placed towel as she stroked him through his orgasm. He never released her breast and continued to nurse through his orgasm. Mary kissed him on the top of his head, whispering to him sweetly, “You came so good for Mommy. My sweet, sweet boy. Mommy loves her boy.”

Mary cleaned him with the towel as he continued nursing and tucked him back inside his pajamas. His rhythm of suckling slowed and before long he was asleep at her breast, mouth open and drops of milk on his lips. She just held him for a while, then buttoned up her nightgown and maneuvered the two of them under the covers. She lay behind him; his back pulled into her chest and held him through the night as he slept.


	6. Dean's Guilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel just wants to help Dean. Was it all going to blow up in his face? Angst with a capital A

Dean woke up with his heart pounding, body covered in sweat and warm arms around him. There were soft whispers in his ear, “Shhh baby. Shhh. Mommy’s right here. You’re okay baby. Everything’s going to be all right.” The arms encircling him were soft and he eased back in to them, feeling safe for the moment, his heart rate slowly going back down and his breathing evening out. It had been a really long time since he’d had that dream. The dream that had haunted him most of his childhood had been buried under years of guilt and mountains of self loathing. Deep enough that most days he didn’t think of it at all, even though those thoughts had plagued him for years. He had learned how to bury it so that he could function by using work and hunting to keep his mind preoccupied. Sex too, that helped when he was feeling that deep dread that overshadowed every single day of his life. 

Dean woke just enough to remember where he was and then relaxed, and snuggled back down into the softness behind him. Mary was holding him tight, speaking low and soothingly, “I’ve got you baby. Don’t be afraid. Mommy’s here. Shhh. Shh. Go back to sleep.”

Castiel had warned ‘Mary’ about possible fallout from this scene and had tutored her well. All of the staff at Seraglio were trained in therapy as Castiel’s goal was to heal, albeit in very unconventional ways. He had found that to get in to people’s minds, their deep psyches, you had to make them uncomfortable. He worked outside the box and had found that his methods could work, although there was a very fine line between hurting and helping someone if the nature of the problem was very damaging. Dean was definitely damaged, but Castiel had known all of his prolonged state of being, that he would be the one to help Dean Winchester. Heaven had not allowed him to intervene until Dean quit hunting. He had been able to observe some of the hunter’s earlier years; most of it had remained hidden to him until recently after the wars. Since then his time had been focused on developing Seraglio. The whole premise behind the institution was to help the descendants of the righteous man first and foremost and then the rest of mankind. Castiel had perfected his therapy techniques long before approaching Dean. Everything had to be perfect first. ‘Mary’ had been in training a long time in order to get to this one night of therapy. Castiel watched as she soothed Dean back to sleep, reassured as the anxious man settled down and eventually fell back asleep.

Dean woke to the smell of bacon and an empty bed. He shuffled to the bathroom first and then headed downstairs. Mary was at the stove and turned to greet him as he came in. “Mornin’ baby. You hungry?” Dean sidled up to her and hugged her, looking around her shoulder to see the pancakes on the griddle. “Yes ma’am. Always.”

“Here let me fix you a plate.” Mary heaped up a plate and seated him at the table, joining him to eat as well. Dean was quiet and reserved this morning. There was a thoughtful look on his face, no anxiety there but Mary could see his mind trying to sort things out as they sat there. She was ready to help him talk if he wanted, but could sense him pulling away just a little. It was morning and sometimes the light of day in and of itself, pulled you out of the fantasy. The spell was being broken. Mary reached out for his hand and said softly, “Dean baby, we can talk if you want, but if not that’s okay too.”

Dean would not meet her eyes, looked down at his plate and after a few minutes, Mary waiting patiently Dean murmured, “ ‘S all my fault.”

“What baby. What’s all your fault?”

There were tears running down his face now. “Dean? Dean baby?” Mary had gotten out of her seat to kneel and take Dean in her arms, “What is it baby? Tell me so Mommy can help.”

Dean was sobbing now and Mary’s knees were giving out. “Here baby, come with me.”

She scooped him into her arms and guided him in to the living room and sat down with Dean in her arms and comforted him, allowing him to just cry.

Dean pulled away a little and wiped his face off. “Big fricken cry baby, that’s what I am. Sorry…um sorry, I guess I’ll go…”

Mary grasped him tightly. “No sir. You are not going anywhere. You’re staying right here with me. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want, but you’re staying right here.” Mary dried some of his tears with her apron and situated his head on her chest, cupping the back of it with her hand and crooned to him in a soft voice, “You’re perfect. You’re my boy. Just cry if you want or don’t. I love you baby. You did nothing wrong.”

“But I did, that’s just it. ‘S all my fault. All my fault. Coulda stopped it, but I didn’t. I didn’t. It’s all on me don’t you understand? I coulda stopped it but I didn’t.”

“Stopped what baby? What didn’t you stop?” She continued to pet him, stroking her hand down his back and kissing him softly on his head. 

“That night don’t you see? Was all my fault..” Dean pulled out of her arms frantic, unable to sit still. “Sorry, um… sorry. Can’t stay. Can’t…” with that Dean was climbing the stairs and began pulling his clothes on hurriedly, gathered up his few things and bounded down the stairs before Mary could get to him. She tried to catch him by the arm as he went by her, but he pulled away from her and headed for the door. “Dean? Please stay, talk to me…”

“I um can’t, I gotta…Thanks for everything but I can’t…”

With that he was out of the door looking for a way out. There was no shuttle waiting on him as he had left abruptly and so he picked a way and just started running down the long corridor. When he got to the end the doors were closed and he tried to find a coded pad somewhere. He wanted out of there and now. Soon the doors opened and a shuttle appeared and pulled alongside him. He punched in his code, climbed in and sat there with his face in his hands. When the shuttle stopped Dean found himself face to face with Castiel.

“I’m leaving dude. You are one fucked up sonavabitch you know it. Just show me the way out you freakin perv. I mean it. Get me the fuck outa here.”

“Dean. You are obviously upset. Come with me please? “Cas motioned to the open door leading to a different room than they usually met in.

“Hell no, you freakin perv. Just get me out the hell outta here.”

“You will be able to leave very soon Dean, but you promised you would talk to me at the end of your visit and I plan to hold you to that. You need an explanation and I plan to give it to you. So come with me.” Castiel’s delivery and tone of his voice were somehow calming yet commanding. Dean had trusted him, but What. The. Fuck?

“Dean. Come.” Dean heard the command in his voice and acquiesced reluctantly entering the room. He fully intended to give the fucker a piece of his mind. Quiet greeted him as he entered a softly lit room, ancient books lined the walls and something spicy mixed with the leather scented the air. Castiel waved to the deeply cushioned leather couch offering Dean a seat. He then went over to a wall, pushed a button and the wall opened to a very small kitchen and bar area. Without asking he poured amber liquid into a glass and handed it to Dean. “Here, drink this.” Dean eyed it suspiciously; this guy had been fucking with him. He knew he smelled something fishy about the whole set up. “Taste it Dean. Not poisoned or drugged, on my honor.”

Dean sniffed it first and the familiar smell of his favorite whiskey, good old Jack, hit his senses pleasantly. He took a sip and couldn’t help a small satisfied smile in response. Castiel poured himself something in a mug and sat down across from Dean in a large reading chair with a high back and a floor lamp close by. The room itself looked ancient, like something out of a movie, the only modern area was the one hidden behind the wall. There were books scattered on the floor, a desk piled up with papers in the corner and thick carpet covering the floor. The room looked well used and inviting, a place to spend hours alone in the company of books and Dean couldn’t help thinking that it suited the dark haired nerd. Dean felt himself calming, his respirations slowing to a normal rate and soon he was able to sit back and let the tension ease out of him.

Castiel watched him as they sipped on their respective drinks, not staring but trying to create a companionable silence. Dean turned up his glass and emptied it and started to rise ready to leave. Castiel silently reached for his glass and went to pour Dean another, handed it back and then sat down, motioning for Dean to do the same.

“Dean, you are upset because of terrible memories am I correct?” Cas was very calm and soothing in his delivery without sounding condescending. 

Dean had no intention in talking to this fucker about anything. It was too personal. He’d rather just forget about it. “What the hell are you playing at man? What’s your deal anyway? You get off on that shit?” Dean was sure that Castiel knew everything that had occurred last night and was starting to feel the shame of someone who has been found out doing something they enjoyed but would never admit to. It was like the guy set him up and now was going to sit back and judge him. “Really, what were you thinking?”

Castiel would not be put on the defensive, he had control of this situation and he was determined that Dean was going to complete today’s therapy having awakened some of the guilt plaguing his psyche. 

“Dean were you initially comforted by your mother’s presence?”

“What’s that got to do with this you sick bastard?”

“Dean, please just answer the question. Did you feel comfortable?” Dean hesitated, but the alcohol was helping to calm him a little. He took another gulp and returned, “Well yeah, at first.”

“So the evening went well, you were…enjoying yourself until you had the dream, am I correct?”

Dean knew it. The perv was watching it all. “What the fuck dude? You get off watching people? That your kink? Watching?”

Castiel redirected, “You seemed very relaxed until you woke with the bad dream. It obviously stirred up something that you feel you are to blame for. Is this correct?”

Dean took another sip or two before answering in a disgruntled tone, “What’s it to you, anyway?”

“This is not for me. This is all for you Dean. I did this all for you. Please answer the question?”

Dean did not want to talk to the dude, but he seemed so earnest, so sincere. No. Fuck no. Dean did not ever talk to anyone about this. He never had and he wasn’t about to start now. Fucking blue eyes were weakening his resolve. The dude was looking at him; his head was tilted to the side, in a way that made Dean feel secure somehow. He couldn’t put his finger on it. He wanted to lash out. “But why? Why do you want to do anything for me? What am I to you? Don’t bullshit me man.”

Castiel was aware that for Dean to be willing to continue, he would have to disclose a little, but just enough, too much and he would walk away. 

“I am your guide Dean. It is my job to ensure that you are safe and cared for at Seraglio. We want you to leave your experience with a renewed vigor and at peace with yourself.”

“I am at ‘peace with myself’ dude. So what the fuck are you pulling?”

“Dean, are you really at peace? Why did the dream scare you so much?” Castiel paused for effect, “Why don’t you tell me about the dream, maybe I will have some insight?” Castiel poured Dean another whiskey and sipped on his mug of tea and honey that Dean had given him.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Dean stated very firmly, but Castiel could tell that his resolve was wavering. Dean needed to tell someone about it, get it off his chest; Castiel was sure this was the big bad that was blackening up Dean’s soul. The darkness ran deep and had been such a big part of him it would surely be traumatic to come face to face with it. Castiel had a feeling that Dean was not totally cognizant of the thing he was avoiding, but was still convinced it needed to be dealt with.

“You want to get out of here? I could use some fresh air, what about it?”

Nonplussed Dean responded, “Where? Go where?”

“I know a place. In the country. Won’t take long. I have access to a company air shuttle. Come with me.” Castiel went to his desk and entered some commands. Soon a shuttle was at the door and it took them to a large hangar where several air shuttles were located. Several people, or were they droids, were busy nearby. One stopped to hand Castiel a large basket and assisted them in settling in to the sleek machine. Dean had ridden in air shuttles before but they weren’t extremely common. The Alliance only allowed people of great import to use them as they tried to keep the air traffic over the city at a minimum. Easier to patrol and keep the peace. ‘Who the fuck was this dude?’

The shuttle was quiet, worked on some sort of magnetic field, and was well appointed with large comfortable seats, the equivalent of an old fashioned limousine. There was no need for a pilot as the destination was preprogrammed and it only took about ten minutes until they landed in a wooded area. “Follow me Dean.” Dean could not figure this guy out. He looked cool and calm even though it was warm and sunny out and he was wearing a long, tan coat like he was cold or something. Dean followed Castiel to a path that cut through the woods where it was a little cooler; there was a slight breeze and it was very quiet here. No city noises. No people. There were only a few birds and small animals causing the leaves to rustle with their movement. Dean could see where the trees ended it opened upon a path that led to a deck extending out over a small lake; it was too big for a pond. Castiel never said a word as they walked to the end of the deck then sat down with his feet dangling over the edge. Dean followed suit not being able to come up with a reason not to.

They sat in companionable silence for a long time. Every once in a while Dean would glance over at the dark headed man and try to see if there was something that would give him a clue as to what the hell they were doing here. There were dragonflies hovering lazily over the water and the longer they sat there, the louder the buzz of the cicadas got. Ripples formed over the lake as the breeze wafted by and the air was full of the smell of the earth, grasses and the scent of pine trees. After what seemed like ages Castiel sighed and looked at Dean, “Are you hungry?” He opened the hamper and pulled out a sandwich and handed it to Dean, not pushing, just offering. “Uh yeah, I could eat.”

“Help yourself.” Dean ever not shy around food rummaged around in the basket and found drinks, more sandwiches and pie. Pecan, not apple, it was too soon. Castiel ate along with Dean as they maintained a comfortable silence between them. The air was getting cooler, the sun no longer shining directly over them having gone down behind the trees, and not yet dark. 

Dean broke the silence. “It happened when I was four. The fire that killed my mom. She wouldn’t have died if I just…” Castiel just listened, not avoiding eye contact but as they were sitting side by side; he would have had to turn toward Dean and he could tell Dean was still looking out over the water. “You see, when Sammy was born my mom and my dad told me that he was mine too. My baby brother. He was so little and I knew I wanted to take care of him. Sometimes I would watch him when my mom or dad was busy and they always told me that when I was watching I had to make sure he was safe and let them know right away if anything happened. Sammy was usually pretty good…but he uh. I hated it when he cried. Scared me some but mostly I just hated it. Frustrated me that you couldn’t just make it stop. I got tired of it sometimes.”

Castiel was not saying a word just listening and nodding, his posture open. “So one night I heard Sammy crying and I was in bed. He kept crying and I just wanted him to stop. He had been crying a lot that day, maybe teething or something. I should have gotten up and gone in to see what he needed, but I…I just fuckin’ laid there doin’ nothing. I did nothing. Just covered my ears and wished he would just stop already. A little later I heard shouting, my dad was in the hallway and handed me Sammy and told me to run, take him outside. I could smell the smoke and when I got outside I could see flames. My mom died that night. I could have saved her. It was all my fault.” Tears were rolling silently down his cheeks. Dean looked spent, defeated.

Castiel calmly asked, “Dean, have you ever thought about having children of your own to raise?”

“What’s that got to do with this?”

“Answer the question please; I assure you it is of import.”

“Well, I uh like kids and all but I don’t think I will ever.”

“Why is that?”

“Pretty sure I’d suck at it.” Castiel sighed. He didn’t want to explore that at the moment. “Well suppose you did have a son or daughter. You taught them right from wrong; taught them to be helpful. Can you think along those lines for me?”

“Uh…I guess, yeah okay.”

“Let’s also suppose you asked your four year old child to help with the care of a sibling, an infant.”

“Are you with me?”

“Yeah. Yeah, just get on with it.”

“Dean if you had a four year old, would you expect them to be capable of protecting anyone from a monster?”

“No, but….”

“Think about it Dean. At four you felt responsible. You wanted to think you could have prevented a monster from harming your family, when in reality at four years of age you were neither required nor able to do any such thing.”

“But I should have done something. I should have gone to check on Sammy. I…”

“Dean, no. You were not responsible. You were never responsible. It could not have been stopped. Your father was not able to…”

“Don’t you think I’ve thought about that? I know I was just a little kid but I could have checked. I should have checked on Sammy. Maybe I could have gotten my dad or warned my mom…Something. I should have done something.”

“Okay Dean. Imagine you are back in that bedroom and you hear Sammy crying, can you do that?”

“Done it a thousand fucking times, so yeah I can imagine that.”

“Tell me what you would do differently.”

Dean had thought of dozens of different scenarios, dozens of different things he could have done. “Could have gone in the room, just gone in there. I could’ve gotten my dad.”

“Has any one thing or even several things that you have ever thought of ever convinced you that you could have changed the outcome of that night?”

“I dunno. Probably. Could have.”

“No it could not. Believe that. That is the truth of that night. The main and unwavering truth is that no matter what you did that night the outcome would have never changed. Think about it.”

“But…”

“No Dean. Every single scenario ends with a monster killing your mother. Your father and mother could not have stopped him even with a warning. I understand you are blaming yourself but you are not at fault. If you had gone in that room you might not have lived as well. No matter how things would have played out you would still be blaming yourself. Suppose you had gotten there sooner or if you had just yelled louder for your dad. If you had done any of the things you regret not doing you would still be blaming yourself for not doing something. It would have been just another way you failed. You needed to blame someone for your mother’s death. You decided to blame yourself. No one else has ever blamed you.”

Dean had always felt as if his father did. He had lived his life knowing that he had always disappointed him. He gave Dean the responsibility of taking care of Sammy, but it was never good enough. He was never good enough. He was not going to bring up his relationship with his father right now. It was not something he wanted Cas to question him about. “Well, I still am mad at myself for not getting up and checking on Sammy instead of just lying in bed. I was being selfish.”

“Dean, you are one of the most selfless people I know.”

“You don’t know me. I’ve done a lot of things…bad things. Besides doesn’t matter now. All that’s in the past. Can’t do anything about it now.”

“You can forgive your four year old self Dean. You have not done that. If you had a four year old son would you blame him? Would you saddle a four year old with that kind of guilt? A four year old Dean? An innocent child, barely formed intellect, you would be angry at and blame your four year old son?”

Dean was picturing a small four year old version of himself, looking up at him with tears and needing comfort. Where did that come from? Dude was fucking with his head.

“Dean. Forgive that child and comfort him.” Castiel’s voice had gotten soft, still commanding, but gentle. “Comfort and forgive Dean. Forgive yourself.”

Dean could not help but think of his adult self scooping up that blonde green eyed boy and hugging him tightly, raining kisses on his hair, cheeks and kissing the child’s tears away. Comforting just like his mother used to do. He had always felt loved by her. Special. Her special boy, loved and cared for. Echoing in his head were the words over and over again, “Not your fault. Not your fault little one. Daddy’s here. Daddy loves you. Not your fault.” He was lost in that reverie for a while, his eyes closed, deep stuttering breaths escaping his lungs. Castiel placed his arm around Dean’s back and held him close on his side. Usually Castiel was uncomfortable with physical touch, but found that this human’s touch felt natural and right; the warmth of his body was welcome and fitting in the cooling night air.


	7. Family and Honey Bees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel wants to find out more about Dean's family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentines Day! I would have liked Cas and Dean to be together already. Sorry but this is going to be a very slow burn.

Dean’s week back at work was tedious. The Fifth Quarter Delegates demanded a lot of his time and he needed something to distract them. Sleep became easier for him and the nightmares had not resumed like they had in his past. Alcohol had helped in the past, but after his experience last week he had a renewed sense of calm, a peace that he had not felt before. When his mind was not occupied with work responsibilities he would replay images of what he actually remembered of his mother, in that his recent experience made his memories seem more real. Intense cerulean blue eyes and a mess of dark hair also invaded his reflection on the weekend’s activities. Cas was invading his psyche for sure and Dean could not decide how he felt about it. Dude was fucking scary the way he read his mind, but by the time he got home Sunday, he decided that he was growing on him. There were two or three times he almost messaged him just to hear his deep, gravelly voice as it had a calming effect on him. By mid week he was feeling a little different, relaxed but bored. It was times like this he missed hunting; the thrill of the chase, living on the edge, out in the field with Dad and Sam. He talked to Sam several times since Sunday; he realized how much he missed him and just needed to hear his voice. They talked some about the past but mostly he wanted to check up on his niece and nephew; he had thought a lot more about his family this week and decided he needed and wanted to spend more time with them. They made plans for the weekend; maybe if the weather was good they could take the kids on a hike, camping or just get outdoors. Hell he even offered to keep the two ankle biters so Sam and Jess could have a night out. Sam jokingly said he wanted to run a few simple tests on his brother when he got there; you know holy water, silver knife the usual. 

“Dean you are definitely not acting like yourself. So what’s up? Who is she? Or he?”

“Dude, just have a little different perspective lately. Wanna be around family. That okay with you?”

“So you wanna come out this weekend?”

“Yeah, yeah I’d like that.”

“You can bring someone with you if you want.”

“Told you there wasn’t anyone. So get off my back.” Dean bit out.

“Jerk.”

“Bitch.”

“See you Saturday.”

Castiel was preparing for the archangel quarterly meeting; he would be hosting it here at Seraglio which served as a perfectly discreet meeting place. It was bad timing for him to have his siblings breathing down his neck as he wanted to focus on Dean and facilitate his therapy. He was pleased with Sunday’s outcome and wanted to have more time talking to or just listening to Dean, but was unsure of the best approach. Gabriel had already been interrogating him about his progress with Dean and it had been hard to deflect the more intrusive questions. Castiel and his brethren had known about their wards before they were born, but Castiel had not ever spent any face to face time with Dean until the last few weeks. He had researched him thoroughly; had access to some of his memories and had interviewed people that had been in Dean’s life both past and present. Castiel wanted to use this meeting as an opportunity to retrieve information about Sam Winchester from Gabriel. The archangels should all be in by Friday afternoon which gave him enough time to wrap up several projects around the firm by the week’s end.

Dean contacted Castiel by ECHO mid week to thank him for his help and let him know he had plans for the weekend, family plans.

“Good Dean. I know being with your family will enrich you. You spend so little time with them as important as they are to you.”

“Yeah, well and I won’t be coming in to Seraglio…so I thought I would let you know…” There was silence on the other end of the call. 

“Do you mean this weekend…or?”

“Yeah, um I’ll be at Sam’s.”

“After that?”

“I um…dunno…I…I’ll let you know. I mean thanks and all for what you um…tried to do and everything…but um…”

“Dean, are you all right?”

“Yeah, yeah. ‘M fine. I’m fine. Just uh need some family time. Get out of the city you know?”

“Dean, will you communicate with me when you get back?” Silence. “Dean?”

“Yeah Cas. I’ll uh message you or something. Oh I almost forgot. I’d like to send some delegates out your way. Give ‘em something to do and get ‘em off my back. Can I have my assistant call and set it up?”

“Sure Dean. Give her my ECHO and I will try to expedite matters for your group.”

“Thanks Cas. See ya.” Dean wanted to say more but was unsure of what he wanted to say. The sense of having a lot of unfinished business was plaguing him.

“Good bye Dean.” Castiel wanted to say more, but was trying to be unobtrusive and hoped that Dean would seek him out on his own. The fact that he called today just to tell him he would not be coming in was a step in the right direction. In order for him to make progress Dean was going to have to open up and let go. Sunday he had taken a huge leap of faith and confided in Cas. If there was too much time between visits Castiel was afraid they were going to lose ground.

 

Gabriel was the first archangel to arrive at Seraglio, the others arriving as Friday afternoon went on. They were taken to their respective rooms to freshen up and then meet in the common room situated close by. The meeting room was large with several monitors laid out on a huge central table. Seraglio staff had prepared Castiel’s guests rooms, meals and pleasantries to fit each of his visitor’s needs. Dinner was an informal affair, the food was excellent but appetites were less than human making the meal less important than the gathering of the intellects. Spirits were ready in abundance as well. Formal reports would be reviewed in the morning; the night was more for fellowship. Balthazar and Gabriel were the life of the party, trying to outdo each other with their exploits. Hannah, Anna and Inais were more reserved but Castiel enjoyed their company. Raphael, well he was hard to get along with at his best but his expertise was needed. This was Castiel’s family and yet he never really felt connected to them anymore like he did in heaven. Even with a common purpose, to help mankind, their efforts were fragmented and these meetings were necessary to coordinate the process. Family factions were still present but with the new regime on earth their purpose was mostly peaceful and the infighting for control was unnecessary. Castiel provided the entertainment for the evening; many musicians and performers were already on staff and he might as well utilize them. Gabriel cornered him later in the evening. 

“So bro, how’s it going with your human boy toy?”

“Dean Winchester is my ward.” Castiel returned in a clipped voice. Gabriel was always annoying. Why would tonight be any different?

“Defensive much?”

“My ward is making progress. He will be ready for the plans that heaven has for him. Dean has very unique qualities.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen him and his unique qualities. Not bad to look at, huh brother?”

“It is true that while Dean is an attractive human, what makes him unique is his soul which is in disrepair. I have plans for him…”

“I bet you do bro, bet you do.”

Castiel hissed with disgust and tried to redirect. He needed to know about Sam. Castiel was sure that some of Dean’s issues were linked to his brother; Gabriel had the most detailed knowledge of Sam as he was his ward. In order to monitor Sam Gabriel always had a restaurant or sweet store close to wherever Sam spent a lot of time. ‘Slabbed Silly’ was a cold stone ice cream and candy shop chain of his and he made sure there were franchises close to Sam’s office as well as home. He also had chains of bakery/cafés and sandwich shops as well as juice bars. Sam had a sweet tooth and frequented all of Gabe’s stores even when he needed a healthy green juice fix. Sam’s home was situated outside the city on a very large lot located adjacent to a large wooded area as well as a plot of land he allowed the neighborhood to use for a garden co op. Gabriel had dutifully watched Sam but his activities bordered on bland as he was very family and work oriented. Jess and Sam were well liked by their neighbors and coworkers and contributed heavily to the non profits that helped others. Most NPO’s were under the auspices of the Alliance, but Sam was adamant about wanting to give back to the community. In other words, Gabriel complained that his Winchester’s life was boring with a capital B and offered to trade with Castiel. Castiel had a hard time focusing on what Gabriel was prattling on about as he was wondering if after the weekend he would be hearing from Dean. He did take Gabriel up on an offer to come and observe the other Winchester brother and his family. Cas made plans to meet him later in the week at one or more of his shops proximal to both Sam’s work and home to observe the whole family’s interactions.

The meetings went well as the angels had successfully infiltrated the different industries and worked from the inside by developing and controlling the infrastructure of all major industries and centers of learning. Additionally they learned how to guide humans with more practical applications of their individual skills. Cas was relieved when they left and was satisfied that they had covered what was necessary. Cas had excellent staff that ran Seraglio and his guests were well cared for and relaxed when they left.

Dean called Cas Sunday evening when he got in from Sam’s. He and Sam had taken the kids hiking then opted to build a fire in the backyard. Jess thought Mary Dean age four and John Robert age six were too young to be out in the wilderness and insisted they stay close by. What she was saving the brother’s from were two whiny, possibly scared kids and they got to have their night of fun anyway. Marshmallow and hot dog roasting started the evening and some fairly tame ghost stories were told before the children were taken off to bed by Jess, while the brothers sat by the fire, drank a few beers and reminisced about their hunting days. The ghost stories they remembered were not to be shared with young ears, at least not yet. Sam and Dean were relieved that these children did not have to live the hunting life and had no intention of ever pulling them in to that lifestyle. Both of their jobs helped to maintain the status quo and hopefully a sustainable peace. Sam tried but was unable to ferret out what had changed in Dean. He was convinced something was up.

Dean talked about their mom some, he knew Sammy wouldn’t remember her at all; he had only been six months old when she died. Mary had always made Dean feel loved and cherished, but Sam was too young to remember anything about her. They swapped stories until the fire died down. The next morning Jess made pancakes and bacon for everyone and Dean had a warmth in his gut that carried him for several days. His little Grinch heart was growing a little each day.

He told Cas a little of what they had done, and Cas tried to be subtle while he encouraged him to talk about how he was feeling. Dean did not elaborate much on his feelings other than to say he enjoyed himself. When Cas praised him for connecting with his family it gave Dean a warm feeling inside that he didn’t expect. Why was it important that what he was doing pleased this dude? Dean slept very well Sunday night, a little tired and gratified that the weekend had gone so well. He had made his life so busy he had neglected spending time with his family and it had felt good to be around them.

The Fifth Quarter delegates spent Sunday evening at an elaborate Arabian Nights party arranged by Cas. The room was decorated like the inside of a large nomadic tent complete with cushions, low lying tables, lots of spirits and food. For entertainment Cas had several period performers such as a few ‘magic acts’ and the finale of harem girls dancing. What happened after the party was up to the individual’s discretion and those arrangements were made privately.

Monday was the easiest day for Dean in a very long time in that the delegates that were in presence at the Alliance were undemanding; several did not even come in. His superiors wanted him to travel the following week out to the Fifth Quarter and settle some issues that were best handled in person. He would be glad to get out of the office, but that was going to leave very little free time over the next week or two. He left by Wednesday and thoughtfully left a message for Cas that he would be out of town for an indefinite, but hopefully short amount of time. Castiel took Gabriel up on his offer toward the end of the week. With Dean gone it would be a perfect time to be away from Seraglio.

Gabriel and Castiel met up first on Friday at the ‘Big Squeeze’ juice bar less than a block from Sam’s office. He usually started his work week days with a large ‘Mean and Green’ protein smoothie and was very much a creature of habit. It was predictable that he would come in around eight as he was headed in, and today was no different. Castiel sat at one of the tables sipping on some herbal tea toward the back to observe. Sam came in through the door at 0740 with a huge smile on his face and pleasant words for the girl that waited on him. Gabriel hovered in the back ground until he left.

“See, always does the same thing, never complains. I made sure she got his order wrong and he didn’t even complain. Like I said BORING.”

“He seems pleasant enough. Almost carefree, unlike Dean.” Castiel needed to see more. This little snippet would not be enough. “So what can we do next? I’d like to see where Sam lives.”

“Sure, let’s take the tube out. I have a funky little land shuttle we can get around in. Wait til you see it. You’re gonna love it.” Castiel was pretty sure that he would not love it based on the fact that Gabriel did, based on that alone he knew there would be something silly or frivolous to contend with.

When they got to the tube station they were greeted with a large, garish hot pink shuttle that doubled as a portable ice cream shop, with the “Slabbed Silly’ logo and pictographs of various sweets emblazoned on the side.

“I don’t think we will be able to quietly observe in that monstrosity. Really Gabriel? Is there not something less conspicuous we can travel in?” Castiel was not getting in that…thing.

“Don’t be such a wet blanket bro. We can change later. I have more than one vehicle. Just wait and see what I’ve got planned. Trust me, it will be worth it.” Castiel was doubtful, but really had no choice in the matter. He had asked for Gabriel’s help fully aware of what he was capable of. The odd thing was that most of the time things worked out. He had really done well with his nutrition operations, Castiel had to give him credit for that. He shrugged and got in.

Within a few minutes Gabriel had them set up near a local park close to lunch time. Castiel was surprised when Gabriel opened the windows to reveal the mini ice cream caravan and prepared to greet customers. Castiel was a little in awe of the well stocked portable sweet shop, was quickly enlisted to manage the orders and payment while Gabriel would prepare the orders. Soon there were children and parents approaching and placing their orders. Gabriel motioned to a pretty blonde with two children as they arrived at the park.

“Brings them most mornings if it’s nice. Brings their lunch so usually no ice cream. Go on, get outta here and observe.” Gabriel shooed Castiel away assuring him he could handle the lunch crowd as all he was selling was dessert.

Castiel found a bench nearby Jess and the children’s table and settled in. Mostly the children ran free, playing on the equipment with each other. The Winchester children were very socially interactive with others, but appeared to prefer each other’s company. Jess played some with them but did not hover; she worked on a hand held monitor and kept her eyes on them as well. The children did not return for food for at least an hour and were sweaty and grimy when they got there. They were polite and responsive to their mother’s request to clean their hands prior to eating and had vigorous appetites. Touching each other seemed natural to them, a hand placed on a back, shoulder or arm occurred frequently. The mother had an affinity for touching their hair and pulling her fingers through the female child’s and ruffling the young male’s as she assisted them. She served herself last and they talked and laughed throughout their meal. Castiel saw no signs of distress or hardship and knew that this generation of Winchesters lives would be very different from those in the past. When they prepared to leave and walked by him, Jess waved and smiled at Cas and wondered to herself if he was there with a child as she had not noticed if he had interacted with any of the children at the park. He was a little flustered to be noticed, but raised a hand tentatively and returned a shy smile. 

Castiel returned to the caravan and helped Gabriel with a few customers before they readied to go.

“Well, bro, did you see enough?”

“No. I enjoyed this outing very much and gathered some important data; however I would like to observe more. What do you suggest next?”

“Well they usually come to the café for a late lunch or early dinner Sunday. Want to come back then? Unless you want to see her shop for food today?”

“Yes, Sunday sounds very agreeable as well as watching her shop. Where do we go next?”

Gabriel parked the caravan near his sweet shop and traded it out for a smaller, sleeker vehicle. The farmer’s market was farther out of town and they arrived soon after the Winchesters. They followed the family around for a while even though Castiel was distracted by the lively and colorful fair like atmosphere of the market. He was especially interested in the honey booth and got into a long conversation with the beekeeper and his extensive knowledge of apiculture. Castiel’s studies had secluded him from the more basic offerings of the earth’s attributes. Castiel took the man’s ECHO and planned a trip to observe the bees early on Sunday before he met up with Gabriel.

Castiel rose early Sunday and took the tube out to the station close to Gabriel’s café and borrowed his transport to get to the apiary. He spent several hours with the beekeeper, just watching the bees and the intricate structures they created to produce honey. He was so mesmerized by their activity he lost track of time and only made it back to the café just in time to see the Winchester’s arrive. It was toward the end of the meal that he got a warning signal from Seraglio by ECHO. Dean was there at Seraglio. Castiel had programmed an automatic signal to occur when Dean’s ECHO was used anywhere at Seraglio, but he had not expected him back for a few days and this visit without an appointment was unprecedented.

Dean had finished up in record time at the Fifth Quarter provincial visit. His level of organization and uncanny ability to manipulate those involved allowed him to complete his task expeditiously and decided to head back to the city. He wanted to be back. Needed to be back. He found himself at Seraglio’s front door instead of his own.


	8. Window Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean goes to see Cas and ends up window shopping at Seraglio instead.

Dean wasn’t sure why he had gotten off at Seraglio’s station. He had wanted to go home but found himself at Seraglio instead. What the hell, he’d stop by and see Cas while he was here. He asked the droid to set him up with a shuttle to Cas’ office. He was informed that Castiel was unavailable and the droid asked if it could help with anything else. Dean was disappointed and did not feel like going home to an empty apartment. He asked for a shuttle to be programmed to the male causeway and was there in the matter of a few minutes. He decided to do a little window shopping.

Dean got out of the shuttle and onto the moving walkway. If he remembered correctly you just had to wave your hand over the display monitor and he could take a peek without entering his ECHO. He bypassed the first two offerings assuming the same dudes would be there and decided he wanted to look some more. He got off at the third site and waved his hand over the display. There was a flamboyantly dressed shemale primping in front of a full length mirror in a sequined gown. Not really his thing but he still looked at the info on the screen to see what kind of working parts there were. ‘Hmmph’ he thought to himself as he smirked and perused the data.

Out loud he said, “Moving on,” then walked on to the next display. This one looked like a full nursery, complete with a crib, rocking chair, toys, and a brunette clad in what looked to be a diaper and a onesie. He was playing on the floor quietly, playing with some blocks then knocking them over as he laughed. Dean watched the ‘baby’ for a while from pure fascination as the infant stacked the blocks back up and knocked them down again. The stage was set up elaborately, there was even a high chair in the dining area and looked well equipped for play. Dean smiled as he watched the young man and thoughtfully considered what it would be like to be taken care of and could understand the appeal. But take care of an adult sized baby. Nope.

Dean viewed several more scenarios but nothing really appealed to him. Nothing seemed worth the effort. It had been a while since he’d been with a dude and tonight it seemed like a good idea. One more he thought then I’m out of here. When the next opaque glass cleared it was to what appeared to be a library with shelves full of books and a chestnut haired nerdy librarian at a desk. Dean reviewed the stats and was intrigued. Twenty eight year old male, 5’ 10’, 165 lbs, Sub, Prefers Dom men to women; Light BDSM only; open to role play; does not care to reveal his private background. Dude was good looking in a dorky way, and what was with the glasses. Playing a part he supposed. Okay. May be worth a shot. Been a while. 

Dean punched in his ECHO and his day code and the glass opened. As he walked in the brunette asked, “Can I help you find a something? Are you looking for something in particular? “

Dean decided he was up for the game, “Why I certainly hope so. I um… looking for a how to book. I need something to help me clean my pipes. Think you have something for me?”

“I think I have the very thing. Follow me.”

The brunette led him to the rear of the library, to a dark corner and ran his hand over the spines of several books, caressing them, then bending over, “Let me see…Oh yes here it is.” He handed Dean a book and Dean read the title, ‘Making your Dreams come True.’ “Do you think this will help?”

Dean looked over the book and huffed with a grin, “No not really, but maybe you can.”

“My name’s Eric, what can I help you with?”

“Well, you can suck my dick,” Dean smirked. Most of his relationships with men were straight forward. He usually only indulged when he just wanted a quick fuck. The dude was not bad to look at and he had been picturing his lips around his cock since he walked in. There was something both familiar about ‘Eric’ and yet something felt distinctly off. 

Eric smiled, but evidently didn’t move quickly enough for Dean.

“Now Eric. Suck me.” Dean was okay giving orders. He had taken them all his life from his dad, people he worked for which always tamped down his rebellious streak.

Eric dropped to his knees as he answered smartly, “Yes sir.” He latched on to Dean’s belt and began to loosen it as he palmed his burgeoning erection.

Castiel left the café and got back to the tube station as soon as possible then made his way back to Seraglio. By the alarms he had been receiving Dean was now located on the male causeway. While he was in transit he tracked Dean and streamed images of him. He was making his way down the causeway and stopping frequently like he was browsing, or killing time. Castiel was in a rush to get back, his heart rate was elevated and his vessel began to perspire heavily. There was not really anything he needed to do. Dean had instructions and looked like he was finding his way around. Castiel could not help but think he had let Dean down in some way by not being there when he arrived. He had noted Dean’s request to see him in the message display.

Right as Castiel arrived at the private entrance, close to his office he noticed Dean had punched in his ECHO and code to enter unit M 17. Cas was trying to view, but could not see all the images on such a small screen. He needed to get to the large multi-view display in his office. By the time he had all of the imaging up in M 17, Dean and the staff member were going down an aisle. He pulled up all vantage points and was able to get a clear view when he saw Eric drop to his knees. Dean’s back was to the monitor and Castiel searched for a different view but never found an angle that allowed him to see Dean’s face. He turned the audio up and watched as Dean threw his head back and grabbed on to the shelves at his side. Cas was frustrated with the poor view, and his shirt was sticking to him wet with sweat. Castiel adjusted his tie and sat at the monitors, adjusting the image recorders all the while watching as Dean reached his hands around to the back of Eric’s head. Not long after that Dean pulled away and Castiel heard him coax, “C’mon. Wanna fuck you now.” He pulled Eric up by the hand and led him over to a large couch situated in what looked like a reading area along with a few chairs and end tables with lamps.

Dean motioned to Eric, “Take your clothes off. Lemme see you.” Eric stripped efficiently, not too fast; just slow enough to tease a little. Dean appreciated his lean torso and tight ass while he was getting some of his layers off. He then looked around and decided it was too bright. “Hey Eric, where’s the control for the lights in here? ‘S a little bright don’t you think?”

“I’ll take care of it sir.” Eric walked away as Dean ogled him and stroked himself while he watched. The lights dimmed and Eric came back and reached into a drawer by the couch and pulled out lube and condoms. “Good boy, now I wanna see you get yourself ready for me. Maybe even help you some.”

Eric crawled onto the couch on his knees and Castiel heard the click of the lube bottle even though the visibility was poor. There was a little too much light for the infrared to work well and not enough to see under the ambient light either. Cas had to be content with listening, his cock already hard and getting harder ever since he heard Dean telling Eric he wanted to fuck him. Dean and Eric were working together to get him ready, the sounds of mutual pleasure coming through clearly. Castiel had watched enough people having sex to know what they were doing by the sounds alone; it just didn’t usually affect him like this. He was a good clinical researcher, could remain objective even with the kinkiest scenes and yet Dean having relatively tame sex had him hard as a rock.

Castiel knew when Dean was entering the man beneath him; he had his pants undone and his cock in his hand before he realized it. Something perverse within him had him matching their rhythm stroke by stroke as they fucked loudly. Cas came harder than he ever remembered and berated himself once again for giving in to the lust he felt whenever he watched Dean. He had also been masturbating more frequently to the vision of the moss green eyes and toned body that excited him. Cas got up to clean himself when his breathing had evened out and heard Eric and Dean loudly reaching their mutual orgasms.

Dean and Eric were talking their voices husky and low. After a few minutes Dean begged off as he had to work the next day, cleaned himself up and said thank you and good bye to Eric. Castiel’s hands hovered over the display trying to decide whether or not to program Dean’s shuttle to his office from the venue. He wanted to see him, but he wasn’t sure if it was wise considering the state he was in.

Dean got in the shuttle and punched in his code and gave a voice command to go to Castiel’s office. Cas sighed and wasn’t sure if he was relieved that Dean had made the choice or not. He watched as the shuttle approached and Dean got out. When Dean got to the code key he hesitated, shook his head and turned around, getting back in the shuttle with the command for the exit to the tube. Dean was tired and just wanted to get home.

Dean looked at his personal communicator several times on the tube and after he got home trying to decide whether to leave Cas a message, or call him. He made no decision in the end and went to bed as soon as he had showered. 

Cas waited for Dean to message him for two hours before he finally went to his rooms and got in bed. He finally fell asleep with a pair of green eyes haunting him, and uneasiness in his core that he could not understand. The previous evenings activities made him restless, feeling dissatisfied and totally grumpy the next day. The staff noticed that he was unusually short with them and hard to please. He himself could not focus, and was unable to get much work done. He went back to his apartment early that afternoon and sulked. Frustrated as he had no rational explanation for the way he was acting. 

Dean had a bad day at work as well. The delegates had very little supervision when he had been away and had stirred up trouble by intruding on the West Coast delegation. He spent all of Monday and in to Wednesday getting things under control. He thought about Seraglio and Cas, but just wasn’t ready to call yet.


	9. The Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean is offered a promotion. Jess wants to set Dean up with a friend.

Cas’ week did not go well at all. Employees were confused about his behavior as he had been so calm and fair to work for in the past. This week he found fault with everyone’s work, appeared frustrated and generally moody. Something was obviously up and no one wanted to approach him so they just stayed out of his way. Dean fared a little better. He was used to running on empty, working through stress, living without sleep or even food sometimes. He was actually having a pretty good week and was brought in to see the High Counsel of the Alliance to give a report on his work and problem solving out in the Fifth Quarter. Unbeknownst to Dean was that the Counsel was grooming him for a new position of leadership. There was one main liaison for each of the nine provinces of which Dean was one. All of the liaisons reported to the chief liaison who managed the communications throughout the provinces and met directly with the leaders of the Council as need be. It was more than a figurehead appointment; the chief liaison had to be well trained, versatile and astute. Dean was all of these and well suited to the position. The initial efforts to recruit him to work at the Alliance were done because the Counsel was aware of his lineage as well as Sam Winchester’s who also worked for the Alliance in the legal department. The public was not apprised of Dean’s heredity or the lore about the righteous man. The Counsel on the other hand had been watching Dean’s family for a very long time and wanted to keep both of the Winchester’s close. No one really knew what heaven had planned for them, but the council members wanted to have some knowledge and control over how it played out. Dean’s performance had been exemplary and he deserved the new position. 

There were nine council members to represent the nine provinces instead of a king, president or other figurehead. The Alliance had been forged at the beginning of the current era of peace after so much death and destruction of the monster wars. They governed as one unit and were appointed at that time. There had not been a need for a general election as all nine members were the original nine. One of the projects the liaisons were working on was to get the provinces to agree on how new members when needed would be appointed to the prestigious and ultimately powerful Council. There were several possible solutions and the governors of the provinces had not yet agreed on a plan.

Dean walked into the meeting expecting to see one or more members, what he was not expecting was for all nine members to be in attendance. His closest affiliation had always been with the Member appointed by the Fifth Quarter, who asked for the report and all the members seemed satisfied with the results Dean had achieved. They were one step closer to a solution for appointing council members should the need arise. 

“So Dean, we have all had our eyes on you and the progress you are making and we are very pleased. How are you doing with the job? Do you like what you’re doing?”

“Oh, thanks I uh…yes sir, I like the job. It’s challenging but I feel like I am accomplishing more now that I have better support staff. I also think the delegates being here has allowed for better communication. I have been thinking that once we get the choices for appointment selection narrowed down it would be a good idea to set up a conference to share ideas and maybe then leave it up for the Council to decide.”

“So you think we are close?”

“Oh yes sir. What we need now is for all of the liaisons to get together and discuss the progress in each province and see if we can narrow it down.”

“Well, Dean the Council agrees with you and we would like to ask you to coordinate first the liaison meeting and then the conference. Would you be interested?”

“No offense sir, I appreciate the offer, but isn’t that up to the chief liaison?”

“Exactly, Dean. We would like you to take the position of chief liaison. The current chief is stepping down and going back to his home province, the Emirate, which as you know needs more unbiased leadership and we feel he can best serve the Alliance there.”

Dean was having a hard time wrapping his head around the request and the members could tell.

“Dean you are by far the best liaison we have and have traveled in all nine provinces. You are more than prepared to do the job. You don’t have to answer right now but you need to let us know soon.”

“Um, okay. I have a few questions first. Can I take my personal assistant with me?”

“Yes, you can choose all of your staff and will be included in any appointments made for future liaisons.”

“Sir, am I correct in that the office of the chief liaison has legal counsel on staff?”

There were a few shared looks between the members and below the surface smiles. “Yes Dean. We actually want to add to your legal counsel as there will be a lot of changes happening that will require many more man hours.”

“So, I can appoint anyone that I feel will work well in the office?”

“Yes, we will leave that up to your judgment.”

“Sir, my brother Samuel Winchester is an excellent lawyer who already works for the Alliance. He has a lot of experience with the provinces as we traveled together in the past. Would it be inappropriate for me to employ him in…uh…my office?”

“Dean, as we said, we trust your judgment, so if you think he’s the right man for the job, the Council will stand behind your choice.”

“I want to talk to him before I decide. Can I have until Monday to give you an answer?”

“We have already discussed among ourselves and outlined the details of your duties, responsibilities and privileges. You will report directly to the Council and here is the code for reviewing the documents. Monday will be agreeable to us. Here also is my personal ECHO. Oh by the way, you will have a higher clearance for the Alliance’s confidential data. Just let us know soon and remember, we want you to do this as you are more than capable.”

“Thank you sir.” With that Dean said his goodbyes and went back to his office to finish up the day. He had Mildred compress the rest of the day and the next day’s obligations and went home early to call Sam.

Sam didn’t answer right away and Dean was feeling antsy. It was a lot of responsibility and yet he and Sam had always talked about wanting to help keep the Alliance peaceful. They had helped to keep the peace already and wanted their children to grow up in a world where hunting was not necessary and would not have to learn to shoot a gun at age nine, or whack off a vamp’s head, much less to deal with demons or angels. The recent history of angels and demons made both sides look like dicks and Dean was happy to not have to deal with either side. He knew there were probably some still out there, but the signs for their activity had been silent for the most part.

Dean had his communicator in his hand ready to try Sam again and before he realized what he had done, he heard a distinctly low timbered voice, “Hello Dean.”

“Oh, uh hey um…Cas.” Dean didn’t remember calling him but there was no mistaking the voice. He checked to see if he really had sent the message and he had. Now what? “How’re you doing?”

Castiel was sitting in his office staring at the monitors practically in a state of suspended animation and getting nothing accomplished when he received Dean’s message. He had Dean’s signal on high volume and his communicator in his hand when Dean messaged. His face broke into a wide grin as he answered. “I’m doing well. Can I help you to schedule something?”

“Um well no, I um..” Dean was kicking himself for calling Cas but really wanted to tell someone his news. Besides Cas could be objective. It wasn’t like Cas was a friend right? He was just his pimp basically. He was the dude that hooked him up with hot sex. “Well I have some news actually. I’ve been offered a new position with the Alliance.”

“Really? Are you taking the position?”

“Well, I’m not sure. There’s a lot to consider.”

“Will you be staying here in the city?” Cas was feeling a sense of dread about the new position. He was just getting somewhere and didn’t want any interference in his plan for Dean.

“For the most part. I will still be at the Alliance but just like my current position I will have to travel some.”

“A lot?”

“Depends. Maybe. One of the best parts though is I might be working with Sam again. It’s like a move up. It would make me the chief of the liaison department…so…”

“Really Dean,” Cas’ voice went up a couple of octaves, but he did not squeal. He did not. It would be very undignified to do that. “I’m so happy for you Dean,” Cas said with warmth in his voice. “I’m sure you are deserving of the appointment, you work very hard and have a lot of responsibility that you handle very well.”

Dean was already feeling good about the promotion, but hearing Cas’ reaction left him feeling warm inside. Even if he didn’t take the job, it was great to be considered.

“Yeah well, I um need to talk to Sammy first and so…” right then a message came through from his brother. “That’s him now. I’ll… uh, talk to you later. ‘Kay Cas?”

“I am full of joy for you Dean. Good bye.” Dude was weird Dean thought as he smiled and shook his head. “Bye Cas.”

“Hey Sammy!”

“What’s up Dean? Your message sounded important.” Dean proceeded to tell him how his day had gone, the meeting, the offer and a promotion for Sam as well, if they decided to take it. Dean asked Sam to look over the documents regarding the offer. Sam agreed and asked Dean to come out for the weekend to hash it over. They made plans for Saturday and Dean started reviewing the material right then. He figured he wasn’t going to sleep much anyway.

Sam went home to discuss it with Jess. He had to think about the effect on his family.

“Sam, you know I trust you to make the right decision. Did Dean say he needed you?”

“From what I understand, the hours will be about the same as we will have an extensive support staff. The responsibility will be greater. There’s some big project in the works so, yeah, I think Dean needs me on his side. I didn’t really think we would ever be working together, but we make a pretty good team. You know, we’ve always had each other’s backs.”

“Hey, you know while Dean’s out here we should have a barbecue and invite some people over. I’d like Dean to meet Cassie, maybe we can get them together. She’d be real good for him don’t you think?”

“Dean would kill me if he thought I was setting him up. I don’t think it’s a great idea.”

“”We can invite several people, you know, some of your friends from the office. Dean could ask a friend if he wants. Make it real open ended. You know if they meet and there are sparks….you never know.”

“I don’t know.”

“Come on. I’m itching for a party and besides, Dean can’t resist a hot girl, you know that.”

“Yeah, well Cassie’s your friend; you’ll have to pick up the pieces when it doesn’t work out between them. You know how he is.”

“So we can! Great. We can do the meat and I will call the café and see if they can’t cater the rest. I know it’s short notice, but I’ll call tomorrow.” Sam got a hug and a kiss and a feeling of dread. “You can call Dean, and tell him to bring a friend or two. Maybe that way it won’t be noticeable.”

Sam went ahead and let Dean know about the plans for Saturday and to bring a friend. Dean didn’t hang out with anyone he knew. Most of their friends that were hunters were dead, or lived out in the province. He also didn’t think Ellen, Bobby and Jo could make it on short notice.

Dean was still up when he got the message. He was up for a party but he had told Sam he wasn’t seeing anyone and he wasn’t ready for people at work to know about the position yet. Mildred would be the first to know if he decided to take it. For some reason Cas came to mind. Maybe they were becoming friends. Dude was an enigma but Dean was always comfortable around him. Maybe, nah, he needed to get to bed.

Cas was disappointed that he wouldn’t see Dean this week, but at least he had called. He called just to tell him his good news. Cas was right about feeling joy for Dean, but it wasn’t all about the promotion. Cas realized that he felt joyful about Dean in general. He looked forward to his visits and he was starting to notice some other feelings he had. He didn’t want to think about what those feelings were. His assistant in the android lab pointed out his change of mood this week. He had felt out of sorts after Sunday night so it must have something to do with Dean. He had frozen Eric’s work for the week and blocked Dean from using him again. That was out of character for him and he was beginning to think he had lost some objectivity in Dean’s case. Surely it was because he felt responsible for his ward and just wanted to protect him. That must be the reason that he was feeling a connection to Dean, a profound bond between them, one that helped him to have insight in to Dean’s character.

Mildred had really lightened Dean’s schedule for Friday; he actually had time to think and while he was at his desk he started thinking about Cas. Wouldn’t hurt to ask. Dude looked like he worked all the time. Dean didn’t even know if he would want to come. Maybe he was married, had a girlfriend or maybe a boyfriend. Dean had a feeling he was probably a pervert sitting in his office watching people get off. Maybe he’d ask. Mildred came in to tell him his last two appointments had rescheduled and that he was free to leave whenever he finished. He took her up on it and left looking forward to getting out of the city. Dean got on the tube headed for home and once again found himself in front of Seraglio’s door. He knew the drill and asked to see Castiel. He followed the blue lights to the shuttle and to Cas’ office. Cas greeted him with a shy smile. That was different. Dean rarely registered emotion on Cas’ countenance except for the time he brought him the honey. That was the only other time he had seen him smile.

“Hello Dean.”

“Hiya Cas.”

“What can I help you with this evening? Are you here for something in particular or can I arrange something?” Cas felt obligated to offer but was hoping for some reason he was here for something else. Dean and Castiel had met halfway in the room and were standing about two feet apart, facing each other. Their voices were softer than usual in spite of the tension hanging in the air, and their eyes focused on each other.

“I uh, no I didn’t uh…want to schedule anything. I um, well you probably won’t want to, but my brother Sammy and his wife are having this cookout thing tomorrow out of the city. They live in Woodvine near some farmland and that farmer’s market I told you about.”

“Yes, I went out there and saw the bees. I liked watching them.”

“You did? When were you out there?”

“I went to visit my brother and he took me there last Sunday.”

“Your brother lives out that way?”

“Yes Gabriel has a café and bakery in Woodvine. He’s in the food industry.”

“Oh, well cool. That’s cool.”

“Dean? Were you going to ask me something?”

“Yeah, like I said you probably won’t want to but, um my brother and his wife are having this barbecue thing and I thought you might want to, but don’t feel like you have to…I thought you might want to come out…but it’s no big deal…so you don’t have to feel like…”

“Dean. I’d love to go. I would like to meet your brother very much.” Cas had wanted to observe Sam, and talking to him would certainly glean more information. This would be the perfect opportunity and it would be part of his research concerning Dean. 

“You would?” Dean was not expecting him to come. Hell he didn’t even know why he asked him.

“Yes Dean. I would love to.” Dean gave him the time and location. “Oh hey, you could ask your brother to come or if you’re married or have a girl friend or…”

“Gabriel might enjoy that and, no I am not married. I am unattached, so no girl or… boyfriend.”

Dean’s face broke into a relieved smile, “So um good. I will see you Saturday. So um.. bye Cas.”

“Good bye Dean.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter coming soon. Cas goes to the barbecue.


	10. The Barbecue Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas visits the Winchester home and schmoop ensues. No porn. Just schmoop.

“Again, again Unca Dean. AGAIN!” squealed Mary Dean when she reached the bottom of the large inflated slide held firmly in front of Dean with her back to his chest. Jess had arranged the blowie uppie slide to entertain the children, but Mary Dean staunchly refused to go on it. Dean swooped her into his arms and carried her up the ladder with her clinging tightly to his neck, and John Robert right behind them. He had been a little reluctant to go by himself so Dean waited at the top for him and they went down the slide toboggan style with Dean in the middle. Dean had come out Friday to spend the night; Mary Dean had rarely left his side the whole evening after falling off the swing. Dean had scooped her up, bandaged her owie and had her back laughing and playing in short order. He had taken care of Sam so long he just knew what to do without hesitation. Wherever Mary Dean went so did John Robert. He was her big brother and always looked out for her. Usually Mary Dean was the one who followed John Robert around. To them their Uncle Dean was a big playmate because when he was there they always got to do fun stuff and he would play hard until they were all sweaty and grimy. Mary Dean had insisted she wanted Unca Dean to read them their bedtime story last night and Jess caught Sam by the arm and made him go peek at his brother cozily ensconced on the bed with their two angels cuddled up to him. “See Sam. He’s ready for a family. Just look at him.”

“Yeah, Dean’s always been good with kids. There was that one time when he and Lisa…You remember I told you about Lisa and her son Ben didn’t I?”

“The one he stayed with for a year but he won’t let you mention?”

“Yeah, it really killed him to walk away, but at the time hunting was just too dangerous and he needed to protect them. He was really great with Ben, and he took care of me all those years. I didn’t turn out so bad.” Sam hugged her as she made a face at him.

“Even more reason to help him out. He’s ready now. No more hunting, great job, supportive brother and sister in law. I really hope he likes Cassie, but I asked Kali from your office as well. She’s single, but I don’t know if she’s right for him. What do you think?”

Sam shook his head, “I think you are going to get me in trouble with Dean. You know how resists even more if you try to push him in to anything.”

“I know, so that’s why I invited a lot of different people, some single, some attached, some with kids so if he is interested in someone it will be his idea.”

“Just remember that I told you that this is not a good idea when one of your friends gets hurt. Dean’s not really the settling down type.”

“Yeah, but Sam I think he is. Just look at him.” Dean was still reading as he rubbed soft, slow circles on Mary Dean’s back, her head in his lap and her eyelids drooping. John Robert was still sitting upright if you could call it that as he was totally glued to Dean’s side and was rubbing his eyes. “I just think Dean doesn’t know that he’s ready. All we’re doing is helping it along. Just wait. It’ll be good for him.”

After the two youngest Winchester’s were tucked in for the night, Sam and Dean sipped some beers while they reviewed the Alliance contract in Sam’s study. It was a lot to think about so they decided to sleep on it one more night before they made a decision. 

Castiel did not get much accomplished at work on Saturday, so after several failed attempts he finally gave up. Gabriel was going to be catering for the Winchester’s and promised to be on hand during the party in case Castiel needed him. He had met Sam’s family before but on a purely professional level from them frequenting his restaurants. Castiel had been given the time and location of the party and arrived promptly at 1800 before any other guests. Jess met him at the front door with her hands full of paper products she was headed to the backyard with.

“Hello. Can I help you?”

Cas would have been concerned he was in the wrong place by her greeting, but recognized her from the park and café. “Hello, I’m Castiel. Dean’s um…friend.”

“Oh, okay. Come on in.” Dean had neglected to tell Sam and Jess he had invited anyone so she was not expecting him. There was something familiar about the dark haired man in the blue suit, but she could not place him. “I’m Jess, Sam’s wife. Have we met?”

“No…I mean…I don’t believe we have.”

“So how do you know Dean?”

“We uh…have mutual interests and I work close to him.”

“So you work for the Alliance?”

“No. Just close by.” Jess was curious about the stranger, but was getting nowhere with her questioning.

“Well everyone’s out back. Right through those doors there.” Jess could not help but wonder about the backward appearing man. He was attractive however, and she wondered if maybe Dean and he were more than friends. Sam never talked about it, but Jess suspected Dean was not totally heterosexual. It was something they didn’t really talk about, but Sam had said a few things that made her believe Dean was into guys as well.

Castiel went through the door to the backyard and oriented himself to the view. There were tables to one side that were covered with large containers of food being attended to by wait staff. A large grill nearby was manned by an extremely large man that Castiel recognized as Sam Winchester. Out further in the yard was a scene that made his heart lurch and fall to the pit of his stomach creating a warm flush that spread out to his limbs and his whole being. Dean had a small blonde haired girl in his arms who was squealing with delight and a young sandy haired boy was clinging to his hand as they made their way from the front of the large inflatable toy around to the back. She was squealing with delight,   
“Again,again. Unca Dean. AGAIN!” All three of them had bright smiles, but it was the look on Dean’s face that caused his heart to flutter. He was genuinely happy, with a relaxed and joyous disposition. This was the look Castiel had wanted for Dean but had been unable to find the one something that would generate the change. It was Dean’s family that had put the smile on his face and the relaxed attitude in his shoulders.

He watched, transfixed as Dean and the little ones climbed up and slid down again with peals of laughter singing out. Sam had noticed the conservatively dressed however rumpled looking man standing stock still right outside the door to the house. He watched him watching Dean and the kids with a look of wonder and, what was that, desire? The man almost looked as if he was going to start drooling he was so enrapt with the scene. He checked the grill; made sure nothing was burning and walked over to the man, startling him out of his reverie when he spoke to him. 

“Hi, I’m Sam,” he offered as he held out his hand.

“Hello, I’m Castiel…”

“Um, do you know Dean or are you a friend of Jess’?”

“I umm…I’m a friend of Dean’s.” Sam was not expecting anyone to be here that Dean had invited. Dean had not said anything but the fact that he hadn’t was not a surprise. 

Castiel was having a hard time taking his eyes off of Dean and Sam noticed. “I’m Dean’s brother, Sam. Glad you’re here. I uh need to get back to the grill; you want a drink or something?” Castiel didn’t answer; his eyes were glued to the view of Dean and the kids having a loud and frenetic time. Dean was chasing the kids now, having moved on from the slide and having started a game of tickle tag. The kids would squeal whenever caught and tickled until breathless.

“Castiel? You want a beer or something?” Cas finally responded but declined anything. 

“Come and talk to me man. Gotta get back to the grill.”

Sam guided Castiel back toward the grill and started to chat with him, using his lawyerly wiles to draw information out of Cas. He wanted to know who this guy was and what he meant to Dean, and if he was reading the situation correctly, this man was infatuated with Dean, so maybe this was why Dean had been closed mouth about anyone new in his life. Maybe he was dating this dude. This guy did not appear to be a one night stand sort of guy. He looked like an accountant or something, conservatively dressed and downright nerdy in his demeanor. He was definitely distracted by Dean and the kids, barely acknowledging Sam or his questions, giving him short clipped answers if he answered at all. 

Dean was currently rolling on the ground having been tackled by Mary Dean and John Robert who were tickling him unmercifully and holding him down by covering his body with theirs. Dean was pleading loudly, “Help, Sammy. Help me. Aaaagh, help!”

Sam chuckled and yelled, “You’re on your own, dude. You started it.”

Castiel was not sure if Dean was really distressed or not. His words did not match the tone of his voice or the raucous laughter from the three rolling on the ground.

“Should I go help him?” he asked Sam.

Sam was nonplussed but offered, “Nah, he’s fine. You can go over though and offer. Maybe they’ll let you play. Take some of the heat off of him, although, he’s their favorite. Good luck with that.”

Castiel was still unsure and stood there rooted to the ground until Sam urged again, “Go on over. The kids won’t bite, although Dean might.” Sam grinned at Cas, but the dude just looked confused as he walked over to enter in to the melee that was playing out on the well kept green lawn. By the time Cas got over to the trio, John Robert was chasing Mary Dean around and Dean was laying on the ground huffing and puffing, trying to catch his breath. Castiel walked up to hover over Dean’s head upside down, “Are you okay Dean?” he asked.

“Cas! You’re here. How are you man?” Cas held out his hand offering his help.

Dean took Cas’ hand and jumped up, still a little out of breath. “I’m getting too old for this. They’re wearing me out.”

Cas was grinning from ear to ear. He had enjoyed watching Dean with the children and the sight had caused him to think of things he had never thought of before. Dean with children of his own, in a small house, coming home from work to play with them, and Cas would be there waiting for him. What? Where did that come from? He shook his head. He berated himself to get out of his head and back to reality.

“I think you were doing a wonderful job,” he practically gushed. “You are very good with them. They like you.” He smiled shyly at Dean and Dean himself blushed from the unexpected compliment. Damn if it didn’t always make him feel warm inside when Cas praised him.

“I uh like them a lot. You meet Sam and Jess?” At that moment the two children came running back. Mary Dean was in the lead with her brother close behind. He was letting her outrun him to keep the game going, staying a few feet behind her. She grabbed Dean around the knees, “Unca Dean, Unca Dean. Save me. Help. Help me.” He lifted her up and put her on his shoulders well away from her brother’s reach.

“Guys, guys. Let’s settle down for a minute. Truce okay?”

“What’s a truce Unca Dean?” Dean smiled. As a four year old, Mary Dean’s conversation was peppered with a constant onslaught of questions. She could rapid fire them so fast that before you could answer the first one she had already asked the next. “Who is he Unca Dean? Is he your friend? Did he come to see you? Why does he have on work clothes? His clothes look like what Daddy wears to the office. Are you going to work mister?” Dean just smiled. “Yes, he’s my friend. His name is Cas…um Castiel. Cas this is Mary Dean and her brother John Robert. They’re Sam and Jess’ kids. Did you meet them?”

“Yes, we met. Nice to meet you Mary Dean, John Robert,” he said as he offered each one his hand. Mary Dean tilted her head, gave him a quizzical look and shook his hand. John Robert gave Castiel a big shake and gripped his hand as hard as he could. Castiel immediately winced exaggeratedly and returned, “My you are a strong young man. I bet you are going to be strong like your father and your uncle Dean.” This made the little boy beam and puff out his chest. Mary Dean was not one to be left out of anything, “Me too. An, an… Imma be big and strong too, aren’t I Daddy?”

Sam had been watching the interchange with a smile. Dean was so relaxed in this guy’s presence and even though he seemed a little odd, he felt that he emanated goodness and likeability. “Yes baby. You and John Robert are both going to be strong if you keep eating all the good food your mom makes for you.” Sam was proud of his little family, content in the knowledge that he was helping to create a safe world for them to grow up in.

“I’m firsty Unca Dean. Can we get sumpin ta drink?”

Dean had a firm grip on her legs as he jiggled his namesake making her giggle again. “Yes, punkin’. Let’s go, I’m thirsty too. Hey Cas you wanna come with? We have beer and stuff.”

“Yes, I’d like that.” The four of them went to get drinks and Dean settled the kids down at one of the tables. Cas sat with them and as soon as Mary Dean had gotten a good drink, the questions started again. Jess came out of the house, surveyed the tables, made sure she was satisfied with everything and walked over to Sam at the grill. “Hey baby. So who is this Castiel? Did you find out anything?”

“No, no. I mean I tried but he wasn’t very chatty, couldn’t keep his eyes off Dean.”

“So do you think they’re dating or something?”

“More likely or something. But hey, I dunno. Maybe. Looks to me like it may be one sided, but then again Dean asked him to come, so…”

“The kids seem to like him.” Mary Dean had gotten out of her seat and was leaning on Cas and chatting away. Sam and Jess both smiled at the sight. “Hey Sam, look at Dean.”

“Do you see it? He’s looking at Castiel like he wants to eat him. Not one sided would be my guess.”

Sam appraised Dean’s countenance and saw something that he recognized but had not seen in a long time. Dean was not just happy; he looked tranquil, at peace with himself. He was used to seeing Dean hurt, brooding, stressed and angry. Sometimes he smiled out of amusement, but this smile was different, and it was obvious by the way he was looking at him that Cas had something to do with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Working on Part Two. Wanted to get this posted tonight. Love to see Cas drooling over Dean.


	11. The Barbecue Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jess introduces Cassie to Dean and Castiel does not like it at all.

People began arriving in a steady trickle and were guided to the festivities in the back yard. There was music playing in the background, kids playing on the slide and Jess had brought out lawn toys to share. They had a hover board station that was being manned by some of the neighborhood teenagers and since Sam was stuck at the grill she enlisted Dean and his friend Cas to supervise the climbing monkeys and insure that the slide was being used safely. Jess had a hard time limiting who she invited so the guest list had grown over night with neighbors, co workers and their children invading Casa Winchester. Sam and Jess were popular in the community and it was confirmed when the guests saw that it was a very family friendly affair with entertainment for both the children and adults, and food for all. Gabriel had arrived a little late and had brought his “Slabbed Silly” ice cream wagon for dessert. He had it parked to the side of the house and Jess planned to announce it after dinner was well on it’s way. There were several tables set up dotting the lawn and food was spread out buffet style situated on long tables with wait staff from the café in attendance. 

Gabriel scanned the flourishing crowd for a head of mussy black hair and was surprised to see him assisting Dean with the children. Cas had a big smile on his face and was dressed in an oversized t shirt that Jess had given him to protect his clothes from dirt stirred up by dirty little hands. His professional attire would not have survived and as soon as she had enlisted his help, she had gotten him something suitable of Sam’s to wear. She couldn’t help but think the two men were cute together and decided she was glad she had not told anyone that she had tried to orchestrate a match for Dean. It would have been extremely awkward with Castiel there. Sam knew his brother well and had been right this time, not that she would ever tell him that. 

Gabriel noticed Castiel and Dean being rather chummy and the unfamiliar smile on his brother’s face. He knew it. He knew Castiel had fallen for the human, but by the look on his face he was sure that he had fallen harder than he thought and his brother would never admit it. Gabriel had spoken to Jessica several times during the process of setting up the food for the evening and decided to seek her out and see what she knew about his brother and Dean. He found her right before the meal started and introduced himself again. 

“Mrs. Winchester?”

“Please, I told you to call me Jess and you’re Gabriel, right?”

“Yes, Jess. I just noticed that my brother is here.” He motioned to Cas and Dean by the slide. “So is he a friend of yours?”

“Castiel is your brother? He was invited by my brother in law, Dean, so I just met him.”

“So what’s up with them? Do you think they’ve been bitten by the love bug? They’re looking very cozy together.” Jess had noticed their body language, they were standing very close at times and you could see them sneaking glances at each other when the other one wasn’t looking. Right about that time Dean came up beside Cas and put his hand at the back of his waist, leaned in and said something in his ear. They spoke for a few minutes and Dean was off again, chasing a little one down, Cas’ gaze obviously following Dean’s backside and appreciating the view. 

“I really don’t know, but they seem very friendly with one another.” Jess had every intention of trying to set up Dean with Cassie. She would be so good for him; she worked in Alliance City in the office that coordinated education all over the nine provinces. Cassie had traveled a lot for her job initially but had gotten a permanent position in the city and commuted back and forth from Woodvine where she had a home. Like Dean her work had kept her too busy to start a family, much less have time to invest in a relationship. Cassie knew who Dean was, but had never met him. Jess just wanted to make sure they had the opportunity to meet, and then they could sort things out for themselves.

Now Gabriel just wanted to stir things up a little by asking, “So do you know how they met, or know each other?”

“No, Dean hasn’t ever talked about him before. He just showed up tonight, but I’m sure Dean invited him.”

“Well if I know my brother, and I do, I’d say he’s into Dean. He rarely socializes and when he does he can be very reticent. Looks like Dean might be good for him.” Castiel had been holed up in the underground bunker for years and before that he had been working or studying elsewhere. Gabriel had tried to get him out of his lair for ages. Not spending time in the field gave Castiel a skewed since of reality and humankind as well; he even lived in that burrow he had constructed underground and had hidden himself from the outside world until now. He didn’t even look like himself in that oversized t shirt hanging off of his shoulders; Castiel’s uniform of suit, tie and lab coat had not changed in over seventy years. It was definitely a throwback to the vessel’s attire that he had claimed prior to the averted apocalypse. Castiel was transforming in to a different creature before his eyes. The loss of grace notwithstanding, he was becoming more human every day and it had nothing to do with heaven and everything to do with a certain blonde, ex-hunter of the righteous man lineage. He was not bad on the eyes either; Gabriel could see the appeal but his taste ran more to the taller brother. He had thanked his father every day that he was Sam’s guardian until lately. Sam had become boring since he got married and settled down, so recently he decided to live out his fantasies vicariously through his brother. If he could do anything to spur things on, he would. Castiel was so introverted the last several years, but Gabriel had witnessed him at the height of his power, magnificent when his silver tipped, dark wings were fully unfurled and the light of heaven shone from his eyes. All of the angels had been subjugated to this life on earth, power dimmed with no excitement in his neck of the woods.

“Mmmm. Maybe, I mean they look like they’re having a good time.”

At that moment Cas laughed at something Dean said and they were leaning in to each other and touching first on the arms and shoulders and then lingering a little longer than necessary before they backed off. Jess looked for Sam and caught his eye. He was also watching the interplay between the two men with unabashed interest and planned to get the whole story about the relationship later from his brother. Dean looked relaxed and happy which is all Sam ever wanted for Dean. If this guy had accomplished that, so be it.

“Well, Jess. The food is ready. We can serve whenever you’d like.”

“Okay, we’ll get the parents with children first.” She went back into hostess mode and got everyone started. She went by to talk to Cassie first and told her she’d like to introduce her to a few people. They stopped to talk to people along the way as she guided her eventually toward Dean. Dean and Castiel were helping Mary Dean and John Robert through the food line and settling them at a table.

“Unca Dean? You an Cas are gonna come eat at our table, right?” the little one demanded as her mother with Cassie drew near. Dean looked up to see a very attractive woman with Jess. Her skin was the color of caramel, her eyes were a warm deep brown with flecks of gold and her hair looked like a soft halo around her head as it was backlit from the outdoor lights.

“Now, baby. Uncle Dean has played all evening with you guys. Why don’t we let him have some grown up time?”

“But, but…”

“Mary Dean, how about I come back and eat with you? Maybe Cassie will too. Dean, this is Cassie. Cassie this is Sam’s brother Dean and a friend of his, Castiel is it?” Introductions were made all around and they chatted a little before Jess let them off the hook. She had at least introduced them, so now it was up to them. She did know better than to push someone on Dean. 

“Dean and Castiel, thank you both so much for your help tonight. Now go while the getting is good,” she leaned in to whisper, “Mary Dean’s distracted by her food. I’ll take it from here.”

Dean loved his sister in law. She was really great and Sam was one lucky son of a bitch, but he knew a set up when he saw it. Cassie was undoubtedly hot, but Dean was not in the mood to be on his good behavior and try to impress her, or put the moves on her. She was obviously a friend of Jess’ and he was not going to go there. The three of them went and got in line for food; Dean was more thirsty than hungry and offered to get the drinks if Cas would find them a seat somewhere. The tables were mostly full; Cas found them a perch on some landscaping rocks and Cassie had trailed off to eat somewhere else leaving the two men by themselves.

“That was a very attractive woman don’t you think?” Cas had noticed Dean appraising her and did not like the way it made him feel. He had to keep reminding himself that he was here to do a job.

“Yeah, she’s pretty.” Dean did not want to talk about Cassie. He’d been having too much fun with Cas tonight. Dude could be fun if you got him out of that dungeon he worked in, so he changed the subject.

“Wow, those kids will take a lot out of you. They never stop do they?”

“Yes, but you looked like you were enjoying yourself. You are very good with them Dean.” The words were spoken softly and with a reverent tone. Dean noticed that once again, kind words from Cas did something to him. He couldn’t really describe it, but it made him feel warm inside and it didn’t hurt any that Cas’ deep, rough voice gave the delivery of the words extra impact.

“You didn’t do too bad yourself, professor. I liked seeing you get a little mussed up.” He really did. He couldn’t help but notice Cas collarbone that was not covered in the least by his ginormous brother’s shirt. There were beads of sweat running down his neck, his skin covered in a film of salt and perspiration and Dean caught himself wondering what it would taste like.

“You’re um… different away from um…work ya know?”

“Well it’s easy to relax around you Dean. You are fun to be with.”

Dean was full on blushing now and Cas had made himself blush as well and was confused about how he was feeling at the moment. It was different but similar to the way he felt when he was watching Dean have sex. He felt some physiologic changes like the rate of his heart and his respirations were elevated and he was feeling a little flushed. Thank his father that he did not have an erection right now. That would be difficult to hide in this close proximity to Dean. It had been happening a lot more lately, his body betraying him, overriding his need to be in control of his emotions and subsequently this body.

They spent the next twenty minutes enjoying their meal and talking about Dean’s family and childhood. When the ice cream truck started serving they were so wrapped up in each other that they didn’t notice until Mary Dean and Sam came up to them. “Unca Dean. Unca Dean. Look what I got. Look.” She held out one very messy ice cream cone that she’d been working on, the tell tale signs all over her face and hands.

“Do ya wan some?” she said as she stuck it up in his face. “No thanks pumpkin’. I’ll just get my own. Is it good?”

“Yep. It’s chocklit Unca Dean. Goood.” She was starting to wave it at him now. Sam and Cas were both smiling at the interplay as Mary Dean tried to convince him to get a bite.

“Cas, let’s go get us some ice cream. I have it on very good authority that it’s really good. Right pumpkin?”

Dean asked Cas what he wanted as he scoped out the offerings but Cas declined. Dean was not deterred.

“You gotta at least try it man.”

Cas was too full as it was and demurred. Dean could always eat and ordered a double scoop of chocolate.

“Hey have you seen the koi pond? It’s pretty cool.” Dean led the way as they walked slowly around to the pond that was situated quite a distance from the activities closer to the house. Dean was enjoying his ice cream and was humming as took each bite. Cas was watching his pink tongue as it swiped the melted layer off of the top and sides. Each time Dean took a swipe Cas would groan inwardly, or so he thought. Dean looked over at him when one slipped out audibly so he couldn’t help but notice. To be sure he slowed his licking motions down and took his time lapping up the treat. Cas eyes followed the movement of Dean’s tongue as it swirled around the tip, unable to look away.

“You sure you don’t want some of this? Come on you don’t know what you’re missing.” He held the cone up to Cas’ lips and then it was Dean’s turn to groan when he stuck out his tongue tentatively and gave a couple of quick kitten licks and then broke out in a very toothy grin. 

“I don’t usually indulge in sweets, but this is…well I like this.”

Dean swallowed and squeaked out, “You can have more, go ahead,” he motioned for Cas to take the cone, but Cas missed the implied offer and continued to lick at the cone while Dean held it. After a couple of minutes, Cas realized what he was doing, “Um…sorry. I didn’t mean to eat all that. You go ahead and eat your ice cream.”

Dean was mesmerized and had been so intent in watching that it took him a moment to respond.

“Cas, it’s okay. We can share.”

His mossy green eyes were catching some of the light from the large, waxing, three quarter moon that was glowing in a mostly clear sky. You know the type of night, where everything is bright and clear, everything highlighted, even the clouds paling in comparison to the moon’s vivid light. Cas returned Dean’s gaze and his blue eyes stayed focused on the moon’s reflection in Dean’s as he bent in for another taste. He dipped in a little too far as he wasn’t watching what he was doing and ended up with a big smear on his upper lip. The smear of chocolate on Castiel’s upper lip was like a magnet to Dean; he couldn’t take his eyes off of it or Cas’ very pink and chapped looking lips. He reached up with his thumb and without thinking rubbed it off and then stuck it into his mouth sucking off the chocolate. Cas looked at him with wonder and before Dean had another thought he was leaning in to kiss him. Cas’ lips were soft, and Dean wanted more. His free hand went to grasp the nape of his neck to allow Dean control and deepen the kiss. Cas was so caught up in the moment that he forgot everything. Everything he had been trying to do for Dean. How could he get involved like this? He came to himself quickly and pulled away. The kiss was over before it had started. 

“I’m sorry Dean. I’m…I can’t…so sorry. I need to leave.” Cas was headed away while Dean called after him, but Cas ducked his head and kept going walking right past Sam. Dean was pissed with himself once again. ‘Well Winchester. You fuck everything up. Can’t have a friend. You just screw it all up.’

Sam had been looking for Dean. He wanted to spend more time getting to know Castiel and talk to the two of them together. Someone had pointed him in the direction of the koi pond and he was just getting there when he saw Dean kissing Cas. It looked mutual until Cas darted off. Dean noticed Sam and when he gave him a questioning look he spit out, “Don’t Sammy. Just don’t.”

“Dean we could talk if you want?”

“I said don’t,” and he walked by him and back to the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heaven has a purpose for the Righteous Man. Will a relationship with Cas help the purpose or interfere?


	12. Insomnia and Bees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the barbecue Dean and Sam accept their new positions. Cas and Dean can't stop thinking about each other but neither one is ready to make a move.

As Dean was getting close to the house a small blonde blur hurled her petite body at him, grabbing him around the legs and pleading, “Unca Dean! Momma says we gotta go to bed an an…” she gulped a large breath and tried to finish as Jess came out of the house. “An an, me an John Robert wantcha to read to us.” She was clad in her underwear and a pajama top, golden curls damp, looking as if she had run out of the house straight from the bath in pursuit of her uncle.

“I’m sorry Dean; she got away before I could finish getting her in her pj’s.” Jess came trailing after her.

“No, momma, want Unca Dean,” she screeched as Jess tried to scoop her up, while flailing her legs and trying to wriggle out of her mother’s arms.

“Baby, uncle Dean read to you last night…”

Dean was already reaching for the little hellion. How could he turn down that kind of devotion? “’S okay, Jess, I got her. Uncle Dean will read to his pumpkin.” He hugged her to him and started asking her what she wanted him to read, happy for the distraction. Jess followed them in, resigned to the fact that her uncle had become a fast favorite that it would be hard for her to compete with.

Sam came up as they were headed in to the house and watched Dean carry off the appeased cherub. There were still a lot of people enjoying the party, mostly adults and older children, the parents of the younger ones taking their cue from Jess and were saying their good byes and thanks. Sam made the rounds, making sure he had spoken to most of the people at least once. 

The wait staff from the café were packing up the buffet under Gabriel’s guidance when he spied Sam and decided now was as good a time as any to introduce himself. After all, they shared a common goal, to get their brothers attached and happy, even if Gabriel was the only one that knew that Castiel had a thing for Dean.

“Sam?” Gabriel had walked up to his Winchester and offered his hand. “I’m Gabriel, Castiel’s brother.”

“Castiel’s brother? Hunh.” Gabriel could see the gears in Sam’s mind turning and clicking in a slow methodical way, not unlike some one listening for the clicks of the tumblers in a lock as they tried to pick it.

“Yes, I’m also the caterer. I own the café and ice cream shoppe. I’ve been working with your wife on your party.” Gabriel had been watching Sam more from a distance although Sam had spent a lot of time in his eateries.

“Your brother was invited by my brother, Dean I believe.” Sam felt like something was familiar about the man, but couldn’t place him.

“Yes, Cassy and Dean have been spending some time together.” Gabriel was going to make Sam work for it. He wanted to know what Sam actually knew.

“I met Castiel tonight, but I didn’t really get to talk to him or get to know him very well. Did you see him leave?”

“He’s gone already? I would have thought he and Deano would still be making goo goo eyes at one another.”

“So what’s going on with them? Are they dating or seeing each other? Dean never mentioned him before.” Sam knew if he gave a little he might actually get the brother to disclose something about the tentative relationship.

“So you really don’t know.” Gabriel whistled and smirked suggestively. Dean had not told his brother about his visits to Seraglio and his sexcapades there.

“Know what? What’s going on?” Sam’s curiosity was more than piqued. He was worried about Dean as it was. He wanted his brother to have what he had, a wife or partner, whoever made him happy and a family. Watching Dean lately with Mary Dean and John Robert had more than solidified his belief that Dean needed and deserved his own little corner of happiness and escape from the stress of his job. Dean would never admit it, but Sam knew he was lonely and ready to settle down. Dean had always been his own worst enemy in relationships. He had sabotaged several and pushed people away. Even when he tried hard, things just never seemed to work out for Dean. Sam was convinced that Dean deserved someone great in his life, but Dean did not and Sam felt his actions had always supported that he did not think he was deserving of love. Sam knew better, Dean had sacrificed a lot for him; it should be his turn now.

The drone of the transport tube was somewhat soothing to Castiel as he travelled back to Seraglio, affecting him like white noise helping to relax him a little. He was caught off guard by Dean's attempt to kiss him and was now worried he might have offended his ward. Castiel had never experienced such turmoil of emotions in the entirety of his existence, which was formidable considering his age. There were many couplings setting precedence for angels and humans, however Castiel never dreamed he would ever consider it, much less be panting for it. Dean's proximity had caused an upheaval in his emotions; his body had betrayed his aloofness and Castiel was now in a continual stated of confusion regarding his human, not to mention a continual state of arousal.

Playing with laughing, happy children was something he had never done before; his role had always been more of an observer, a student of the human condition more than a participant. He had been having so much fun with the children, and had been so relaxed with Dean by his side, it had felt right, natural, and had given him such a warm comfortable feeling. He had not wanted it to end, had been so enveloped in the haze of enjoyment that he felt guilty now about running off like he had. He was afraid he had really hurt Dean's feelings, the last thing he wanted to do. Cas berated himself for getting too involved, so immersed in Dean's life that he had lost control. Castiel never lost control. That was his M.O., always removed from the dirtiness of life, ever pristine in his lack of involvement. The thing that was really starting to worry him was the fact that he wanted Dean to kiss him. He had been increasingly attracted to the plush, full cherry lips, the mossy green eyes with such sparkle in the depths that he was so mesmerized by his human that it was rare to not think about him. His job had involved studying his personality, psyche, weaknesses, strengths, fears, phobias and Cas had begun to feel a closeness in his mind that wasn't real. Surely they had a few moments of easy companionship and he had wanted to build on it. The barbecue had been the perfect venue to study Dean with his family and when his guard was down while out of the sexually charged arena that was Seraglio.

Castiel's dirty little secret was that he had started thinking about Dean in a sexual sense; he had never dreamed that he could have romantic feelings toward Dean. His vessel was prone to the sexual attraction that he felt toward the human and was fueled by the constant planning of sexual encounters for Dean, followed by observing him engaging in sexual activity for hours on end. The constant sexual tension that had built up had started after meeting Dean personally and Castiel had to wonder if there was something chemical that was affecting him, maybe pheromones or just his body's response to being in close proximity with Dean's. He had noticed the man’s extreme attractiveness prior to meeting Dean, but in the last month Castiel had utilized cold showers and multiple types of distraction to try and subdue the intense sexual response that he was having in regard to Dean. In his total time in his corporeal vessel he had not succumbed to the act of masturbating until that first night when he met Dean and then observed him having sex. 

His response had overwhelmed him and compelled him into the sexual act, of which he had repeated almost daily since the first time. Getting to sleep without it had become nearly impossible with the haunting vision of Dean's face, those eyes, that body. Dean had invaded his mind whenever at rest and the only relief he could get was giving himself an orgasm with Dean playing the imaginary role of his lover. Castiel had been very upset when Dean had his last visit to Seraglio, causing him to ruminate about why it had bothered him more than any of the previous encounters. As a scientist he had compared all of the variables and concluded that the two outstanding differences were that Dean had chosen on his own without Castiel's guidance and that the encounter was with a male. He had felt thwarted as he had been unable visualize the encounter and had been left with interpreting the sounds of sex between the two men, so the visuals had been left up to his imagination. He remembered feeling tense and angry and it had taken him bringing himself off three times before he was able to sleep. Dear father. What was he going to do? He was out of control and now he had hurt Dean.

Castiel tried to get to sleep that night without touching himself. It was a valiant effort but even with a cold shower, some meditation techniques and prayer, he could not override the way the thought of Dean's soft lips on his; those green eyes chased his thoughts and he finally gave in. Then he gave in again. Dean had kissed him. Dean had wanted him. Nerdy, backward, socially inept scientist that he was, Dean still was interested in him. He had kissed him. Did it mean anything? Why did Dean kiss him? Was it just because he was there? Was he attractive to Dean? The thought that Dean was attracted to him had instigated the second episode of feverishly making himself come, sweating and groaning at thought of what they could do together. He wanted to feel Dean on top of him, in him, and near him. He wanted to smell him, breathe in his essence, taste those lips and taste...well all of him, every inch of skin, every crease, every taste, every smell, every touch. He wanted it all. What was he going to do? 

Castiel knew that he had undermined all of his extensive work of helping to repair Dean’s psyche by fixating on him sexually. Maybe if he went back to the lab and immersed himself in the work that he had started, he could get back on track and somehow make it up to his human. He decided to go on in to the lab at two am as he was not getting any sleep. The lab would be void of staff hovering over him, making it easier for him to get his work done.

The security code to this part of the building was only utilized by the inner circle of well trusted staff. Castiel had perfected android technology to the point that he was afraid of the technology getting into the wrong hands. The skin synthesis had been completed last week on Dean’s android; the final testing was due to start Monday morning anyway, Cas would just get a head start.

The lab was mostly quiet, without the presence of humans and Castiel felt a sense of peace as he entered, he felt more at home here than in any other areas of Seraglio. His mind stayed focused on his work here and it was only here that he could focus on his work instead of Dean. The antechamber off of the lab was dark and still, the only sounds were deep respirations coming from the back corner of the room. In order not to startle he raised the light gradually and beheld the sleeping figure on the bed. Dormant but easily aroused the blonde on the bed’s eyes fluttered, then opened and smiled at Castiel recognizing a familiar face. 

“Hello doctor.”

“Hello. I am sorry to awaken you at this hour, but I wanted to get started with your final testing. Please come with me.”

As the coverlet was thrown back, Castiel reveled in the view of the creamy expanse of skin, blonde locks and luminous green eyes. It was really uncanny how good it was and his breath caught in his throat from the sight of the sheer beauty that he had recreated based on Dean’s features. The android followed him to the main part of the lab and asked, “What do you wish of me?”

Castiel’s physiologic response to the nude was causing him to have difficulty in focusing on the job at hand. “First lay up here,” Castiel motioned to a large padded work table, not unlike a large bed or cot on a pedestal. The android lay supine and relaxed while Castiel sat at the control monitors and started scanning for bugs. Then he ran all of the operating systems checking them singly and then as a total unit. He put the body through several tests. Memory intact. Reasoning highly functional. Motor skills exceptional and adaptive. Physical response to external stimuli appropriate. Castiel watched in wonder as he put his creation through it’s paces, especially in the physical department. No one had ever achieved such fluid movement, such natural responsiveness, with facial expressions both subtle and believable. 

Castiel had wanted Dean to have a therapeutic android of his own. He knew how hard it was for Dean to open up to another person and felt that if he created someone familiar to him that he would have no fear in disclosing his innermost fears. Dean had already made a lot of progress, he had been reconnecting with his family and if the prophecies had been true, Dean would eventually find a mate to help him with heaven’s purpose. Castiel’s plan was to get Dean comfortable, relaxed and finally open so that he could move on with peace and a clear conscience. This had to happen in order for him to fulfill his destiny. They were so close. Cas would have to apologize to him. Maybe talking to the android would help. The tests had gone so well he decided to try a theory he had.

“Thanks so much. You did very well.”

“My pleasure doctor.”

“Please dress in daily wear and meet me at the shuttle.”

“Yes doctor. Daily wear. I will meet you at the shuttle soon.”

Cas watched as the nude figure walked away, admiring the view and hopeful that he had arrived at a solution to his problem with Dean.

Monday morning Sam accompanied Dean to the Alliance Center to negotiate the final terms on the contract for the new positions they would be transitioning to. The formal announcement would be made when all terms were agreed to. Dean told Mildred of course and while Sam was attending to legal matters, Dean was interviewing potential successors to his current position as liaison by reviewing candidates from the Fifth Quarter. Things moved quickly as the Council had anticipated this and the wheels of change had been turning for a while. By the end of the week the announcements had been made and Dean and Sam were prepared for the campaign in each of the provinces in the Alliance of the Nine Moons to facilitate the new plan for appointing Council members. They had an air shuttle at their disposal and plenty of support staff to accommodate their travels. The trip would take several weeks of being away from Alliance City dependant on how quickly they could expedite the new policies and persuade the locals to come to a consensus.

Dean was too busy to worry about Cas, he had too much going on to give it a lot of thought. He felt like he should do something, but never did as he was just too preoccupied. He would still remember how he felt that night and would shudder each time he thought about it. Everything had been going so well with Cas and he was very attracted to him. It was easy with him until Dean had tried to force his feelings on the other man. He always fucked things up. Now the dude probably never wanted to see him again. He felt like he should call him or something. What do you say though? Sorry I think you’re hot. Sorry I tried to kiss you. Sorry that when I look into your eyes I see a whole different world, a world where I feel loved and special. Maybe he had misread the guy. Maybe he just wanted to be friends and Dean had to go and make it something else. Fucked it up again Winchester. Oh, well when I figure out what to say I’ll call.

Castiel awakened to the grating sound of an alarm Monday morning and the delicious and comforting feel of a warm body pressed into his back. The breathing was deep and even and Castiel reveled in the warm presence. It was still very early and Cas noticed that his body was having the normal physiologic response to a full bladder. He was hard and yet felt no pressing need to do anything about it. He turned over and sighed at the vision of the sleeping blonde. He couldn’t help himself and carded his hand through the soft blonde spiky hair. Soon a pair of sparkling green eyes still heavy with sleep opened and focused on him. Castiel leaned in for a kiss, loathe to end the moment, but wanted to get to the lab before any other staff did. “Come on, let’s get a shower,” he directed and reluctantly got out of bed. Even though he only slept for a few hours, he had slept deeply and was ready to meet the day.

Jess was not looking forward to her husband being away for weeks at a time. Their family life was important to both of them, Sam was a great dad and he apologized profusely for having to be away. Jess encouraged Sam because she knew what they were doing was integral to maintaining peace in their world as they knew it. She certainly didn’t want to make him feel worse than he already did and told him of things she planned to do while he was gone. She had given up on the whole Cassie thing and now had her eyes on Castiel as a possible mate for Dean. They really looked cute together. She and Sam had talked about it some and he begged her to leave it alone without telling her what he had seen between Dean and Castiel at the barbecue. He was still not sure of what he actually saw but he knew Dean’s reaction had been to not deal with it as usual.

Jessica waited until Dean and Sam were gone before calling Gabriel to get Cas’ ECHO. Her plan right now was to get to know Castiel better and if something worked out between the two men, well that was up to them. Gabriel was not surprised to get the call from Jess and offered his help if needed getting his brother back to Casa Winchester. Castiel was taken back a little when he got the initial call from Jess who called just to chat and thank him again for all of his help. She then led the discussion to discuss the children, the community garden, and the farmer’s market and eventually they ended up talking about the honeybees. Castiel declined her initial offer to come out on the weekend, but was coerced by her pleading and the thought that at least Dean would not be there which would allow him to be impartial as he collected more research.

They planned a visit to the farmer’s market with Mary Dean and JJ (Mary Dean had been calling him John Wabut, but uncle Dean had shortened it to JJ saying that he was his little jaybird and it had finally stuck). JJ had taken a liking to Castiel reluctantly, but agreed to hold his hand while at the market instead of his mother’s. Castiel tried to discern what the young boy was interested in as they shopped and was pleased when he showed an interest in the honeybees and the honey that JJ loved eating on his pancakes. Jess and Mary Dean were invited along with Castiel and JJ to the beekeeper’s house to explore the apiary. Later they spent the afternoon working in the garden when Jess had an idea.

“I just had a thought Castiel. What do you think about starting your own apiary here? We have lots of room. We have several acres here and the bees can help pollinate our garden. We can also plant whatever you want, clover or flowers. Let’s see, what kind of trees do we have?”

Castiel loved the thought of having bees; he had contemplated getting his own but living in the city and underground at that just wouldn’t allow for it.

“Do you really mean it?”

“Yeah, sure. We have tons of room and the beekeeper lives nearby. Maybe he would be willing to help you.”

Castiel pictured himself spending hours with the bees, just watching them made him happy. If he had his own bees he thought it might be a nice break from work and he could spend more time with Deans’ family. He worried it would be too much of an imposition on Jess and her family and expressed the same.

“You are welcome here any time Cas, really. We always have people in and out, what with the garden and the children. We’d love to have you stay anytime so that you can have more time setting up and caring for the bees.”

Castiel could not believe he was even contemplating the undertaking and had not made a decision until a hazel eyed little six year old pleaded, “Uncle Cas, please. I’ll help you. Please?”

JJ started the campaign to convince his new friend and as ever Mary Dean couldn’t be left out. “Yeah Unca Cas. We want bees, we does. We wants bees an honey an, an we can help and everything. Please Unca Cas?”

Castiel was not immune to the pleading doe eyes and earnest expressions targeted at him, but when the two miniature humans referred to him as Uncle Cas, well, his heart melted and he now understood the phrase ‘wrapped around his fingers’. 

“Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to look into it,” he offered to the group when squealing broke out.

“Yay, we’s gonna have bees. Bees and honey. Unca Cas gonna grow us some bees!”

“Bees, YES! When we gonna go get’em Uncle Cas? Can we go get the bees right now?” JJ and Mary Dean were dancing around and Jess tried to calm them down. “Okay you guys. Uncle Cas will look into it and in the meantime let’s see if we can finish up here. Let him see what good weed pullers you are right now.”

The next two weekends Cas spent a lot of time at the beekeepers and gathering supplies. He did his research through the week and he had to admit it gave him something to look forward to. It didn’t hurt that his heart had been stolen by the younger Winchester’s, worming their way in with their innocence and their elation in the natural process of honey making, and gardening. Soon Cas was assimilated in to the family and routine at Casa Winchester. Jess talked to Sam every day and kept him up to date on what he was missing out on. Mary Dean and John Robert gushed about Unca Cas and the bees to both Dean and Sam. Sam was not surprised about Jess getting Cas out to the house, Dean was. He was not expecting Cas to be there and instead of asking a lot of questions he let Mary Dean and JJ fill him in on the bee undertaking. He promised to come see them when he could. By week three of their journey they were almost done and sure to be back by the week’s end. 

Jess and Cas would sit and talk after the kids went to sleep. Castiel was very comfortable with the sweet disposition of Sam’s wife. He found her easy to talk to and was finding out a lot of what Sam had told her about growing up Winchester. He knew Dean had helped to raise Sam after his mother died and that his father was very hard on him. What he was not aware of was how really harsh the life had been. Sam only realized some of how bad it was after the fact. He had told Jessica about how Dean had gone without food when they were left to their own device when they were too young to accompany John Winchester on hunts. The worst of what Sam remembered were the harsh punishments that Dean had taken without complaint, how they missed school, missed simple normal childhood activities and pleasures. Dean could never seem to please their dad and was told he was not smart like Sam, when Sam knew better. Even though Castiel knew some of this, he really could not fathom the emotional punishment that the ex hunter had received and realized that there were a lot of walls to break down before the man would be fully healed. It also made him regret the way he reacted when Dean kissed him even more when he realized how much rejection and lack of maternal and paternal love that he had survived with stoicism. His admirable care and devotion to his brother was the highlight of Dean’s life and where he gained the majority of his pride in a job well done. He was capable of so much and was finally getting the accolades and responsibility commensurate with his capabilities. He would serve heaven well.

Cas cried that night as he waited for slumber to overtake him. He hurt for the man that had stolen his heart and was left confused about how to approach his task of helping his ward. He had gotten too close. He could no longer be objective. Maybe Gabriel had some insight and at the very least, Gabriel was the only one he trusted enough to talk to about this. He would keep Cas’ secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a few ideas regarding the droid. Not sure which way to go, so what did Cas do? Was he naughty or nice with Dean's droid?


	13. The Apology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas gets closer to Dean's family. Cas and Dean almost talk about the kiss.

Dean and Sam were able to finesse the provinces into an agreement of how new Council members would be selected. All that was left to do was for them to send delegates to Alliance City for a summit. There would not be a general election, but each province would send it’s own representatives to the meeting at the Alliance where the final edict would be drafted and signed. There were already arrangements being made to facilitate the meetings by the staff in the city. Dean had people he trusted to get the job done; the food ordered, lodgings and entertainment arranged. It would prove to be a large undertaking, bigger than anything that had highly impacted the Alliance in years and would be treated with as much dignity as the occasion called for. They had both put in many more hours than their usual jobs required in order to get home as soon as possible. Sam was missing his family and Dean, well Dean was haunted by a pair of cerulean eyes that seemed to look into his very soul. He could not get Cas off of his mind and needed to talk to the man. It had been a full three weeks since the barbecue and he had still not spoken directly to Castiel. He had been getting bits and pieces of Cas’ interaction with his family through Sam and Cas’ young groupies. Cas had reached the status of uncle while he had been away. How did that happen?

Castiel had never looked forward to something so much. Each day as he was spending time with the Winchester’s and organizing his venture in to apiculture he realized that thrill he felt was not just one of new beginnings, but something more. He had not felt such a sense of belonging since he was shut out of heaven. Fascinated as he was by the bees, he knew deep within him that what he anticipated daily was the time he would spend with the younger family members. Jessica had become like a sister to him and made him feel at home every time he was there, but what he was becoming addicted to were the looks of pure adoration he was receiving from Mary Dean and JJ. They hung on his every word and Castiel realized he had never been so adored by any one, angel or human. Their sweetness and innocence combined with their natural curiosity had him feeling something he could not describe. He had tried, even read what he could find regarding children and their attachment to authority figures. He had become something akin to a hero in their eyes, but was baffled by it as he had not done anything that could be construed as hero like or could have elicited such loyalty and devotion. He had brought them a few books on backyard friends after they had decided to venture into the culture of bees and honey. He purchased a book series and was soon coerced by two pairs of puppy dog eyes to read to them at day’s end. Their favorite was of course ‘Are You a Bee?’ but the others in the series were well loved by them as well and the three became experts in all things crawly and floaty in the garden. Butterflies, lady bugs, spiders, dragonflies became the subject of their studies and the daily treasure that they hunted when outside.

Castiel and Gabriel had gotten together a few times to talk. Castiel felt like he needed a sounding board and the only sibling he trusted was Gabriel. There had never been any power struggle between the two of them and had quietly supported each other through the millennia. Gabriel could smell intrigue all over his brother when he came to stay with him at his home in Woodvine.

“So Cassy, what’s got a bee in your bonnet?” 

Castiel huffed and tried to avoid completely falling apart. He needed someone to confide in but was feeling vulnerable and needed to be coaxed a little. He was having a hard time gathering his thoughts and a way to express his inner turmoil. He was ashamed of getting too involved with his ward and his family. Even Gabriel had been able to remain fairly uninvolved and objective when it came to his personal Winchester.

“So, how are things going with your boyfriend?” Gabriel couldn’t help himself. Castiel was being such an oblivious baby about his relationship with Dean. It was obvious that his brother had a crush on the gorgeous human and he was sure watching him have sex on a regular basis had just fueled the fire.

Castiel’s eyes widened at the question, “He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Who isn’t your boyfriend?” Gabriel smirked.

Castiel blushed casting his eyes down, knowing he was not doing a very good job at hiding how he felt about his Dean. He blurted, “What am I going to do? I’ve ruined everything I’ve been working toward.”

“What did you do? Knowing you it’s surely not as bad as you think. You wouldn’t hurt a fly. You’re incapable.”

“I’m a soldier, need I remind you.”

“Oh, please. You know what I mean. Tell me what you did.” It was a command. Gabriel didn’t want to wait on his brother’s reticence to get to the heart of the matter. “Come on; tell us what big, bad Castiel did to the poor helpless human.”

Castiel huffed and then decided to just say it “I let Dean kiss me…I sort of kissed him back. Then I…I ran off. I just ran off and left him standing there.”

“So he kissed you?”

“Yes, but I…I had to leave. I couldn’t…I knew I shouldn’t so I left.”

“What do you mean you shouldn’t?” Gabriel knew how his brother always wanted to do things properly. He himself had never seen any reason not to enjoy the pleasures of this earth and never understood why Castiel was so reserved with humans and his interactions with them. He had a lot of love for his brother, but really, the guy needed to loosen up a little. “Really Cassy. Do you think kissing Dean was something our father, or anyone in heaven would take issue with? And if they did, I say screw ‘em. We’ve got to live here, and I for one am enjoying this vessel and it’s appetites.”

“But Dean is my responsibility. I am supposed to be helping him, not lusting after him.”

And there it was; the heart of the matter. He knew it. He actually couldn’t believe his brother had admitted to having earthly desires and weakness in being able to control his vessel’s inclination. “Woo hoo. Brother,” he grinned. “Knew you had the hots for him. He is pretty Cassy. Go ahead and get you a piece of that. He seems interested. Just go for it.”

“Pfft. Leave it to you to be crass about this. This is why I don’t talk to you about things.” Castiel was done.

“Oh don’t get your panties in a wad bro. What’s the big deal? He likes you. You like him. What’s the harm in taking a dip in his love pool? That boy is fine and you need to loosen up a little. It will be good for you.”

“What about heaven’s purpose for him? My job was to help him, not to fornicate with him.” Castiel looked dejected, forlorn and at an utter loss as what to do. Gabriel spent the rest of the evening trying to convince his brother to just let go. Castiel finally changed the subject. He really did not want to discuss what he had been doing at night with Gabriel. As far as he was concerned he would try to not ever let anyone know how he spent his evenings. 

He had slept so well that first night with a warm body next to him, and with the sound of deep even breathing so soporific that Castiel was able to sleep better than he had since meeting Dean. To him it had been more comforting than sexual as he indulged in long languorous make out sessions that did not always end with an orgasm. The fantasies in his mind of the real Dean actually did more for him than his doppelganger which was, to his mind, just a pale shadow of what he experienced in Dean’s presence. It was just a comfort to him. There was something important missing, Dean’s essence. Castiel realized he had not gotten the smell right. He had been looking at ways to improve that in the lab, but was not sure that it would be necessary to achieve a perfect match for Dean’s therapy. Castiel always attempted to achieve perfection in his endeavors and this time it had not quite measured up outside the lab. Inside the lab under the bright light everything had looked exceptional. Up close and personal he was impressed with what he had achieved and yet, his body did not react the same way as when he was in Dean’s personal space.

Jessica had enjoyed having Castiel around while Sam and Dean were gone. She had missed her husband but had taken this opportunity to get to know Dean’s friend. The way her children had responded to the quiet man had not surprised her. There was something so calm about the dark haired man that drew them all in. He seemed as fascinated by the bees as the children and they had fallen in to an easy pattern of working in the garden with Castiel as tutor and student in regard to the bee hives and plantings to attract the honey makers. It wasn’t a stretch to see Dean and Castiel raising a family of their own and what would it hurt if she helped a little in getting them together. She figured as long as she kept them in close proximity to each other, they would eventually figure it out on their own. If not, no harm done. Her family would have a new friend and all the honey they could eat.

Sam called Thursday night to say they would be home sometime Friday. Jess made sure Sam invited Dean out on Saturday to hang out and have family time. Castiel would be staying nearby with Gabriel so they would make dinner a family affair. Gabriel volunteered to bring dessert fully intending to make sure Castiel and Dean had some time alone if he had to orchestrate it himself.

Dean had thought about calling Cas several times a day for the last three weeks and yet after staring at his communicator and entering the first eight digits of Castiel’s ECHO, he could never bring himself to push the ninth. Friday after the barbecue after he finished showering he was sitting on his couch, his fingers hovered over that last digit, but he became disgusted with himself and threw the device to the other end of the sofa. He wasn’t sure of what to say or anything for that matter. What to say? How he felt? He knew he had crossed a line in their ‘professional’ relationship, but he felt that they had moved on to something more. At least a friendship, but then he had to fuck it up again. He didn’t know what it was about the man, but he had gotten under Dean’s skin. They really hadn’t spent that much time together, but the dude seemed to know a lot about him and Dean felt comfortable around him until he had gone and messed it all up.

What was he thinking when he kissed the dude? Right, he was not thinking obviously. He had looked so damn cute licking on the ice cream, like it was something brand new and then he saw that little bit on his lip. His soft, somewhat chapped looking lips and then he found himself wanting to taste them and before he knew it, he was pressing his lips together with Cas’ and for a fleeting moment it seemed like Cas was on board. Then the dude had high tailed it out of there like a scalded cat. Fucked it up again Winchester. Just like you always do.

Dean arrived at Sam’s house midday on Saturday with presents picked up on his travels for his niece and nephew that were Sam approved. He walked in on a happy scene in the kitchen with all of his family and Cas. He knew he was spending a lot of time there but seeing him hit him in his chest, knocking the breath out of his lungs at the sight of him in scruffy jeans, a worn t shirt and sandals. He was laughing with a smile so broad that his teeth and gums were exposed and shiny. That together with those fucking startling blue eyes made his chest clench. Damn, he was screwed. Game face on Winchester. Fucking nerd’s not going to get the best of you.

Dean cleared his throat, “Uh door was open so…I…Hi guys.”

“Unca Dean!” Well he could rely on his namesake to throw herself at him, and he loved nothing better than to scoop her up and get his hello hugs. Mary Dean’s favorite uncle was delighted.

“Unca Dean,Unca Dean. We’s growin’ BEES! An an we’s growin’ flowers for the bees so so they can makes hunny Unca Dean. An an Unca Cas is making the bees grow and he’s making bees houses an I’m helpin’.” Mary Dean was gesticulating wildly with her chubby little hands.

“Hey I’m helpin’ too Unca Dean.” John Robert wanted his uncle to know that he was a good helper as well.

“I bet you are both helping uh…Uncle Cas.” Dean was beaming at the two tots and extended that smile to Cas who was starting to fidget. He had been so relaxed until Dean walked in and now he had visibly stiffened. Their eyes met and Dean had to let Cas know that things were good, “I’d love to see what you’ve done. Will you show me?” the question was directed at Cas who could only nod his assent before Mary Dean answered, “I’ll show you Unca Dean. We’s can go right now, okay Unca Cas?”

Jess needed to gain control of the crew and reminded everyone that lunch was almost ready and they could go after they finished. The crew trooped out after a lunch spent with Dean and Cas sneaking shy looks at each other which did not go unnoticed by Sam and Jess. Dean and Sam answered questions about their trip and the upcoming summit and the others shared how they got started by visiting the farmer’s market. Things were progressing rather well and they were all eager to show off what they had accomplished while Sam and Dean were gone. There was a short walk past the koi pond over to the garden acreage. Mary Dean clung to her uncle’s hand and JJ ran ahead of them determined to lead the way. The vegetable garden was well established with rows of corn, several individual plots of tomatoes, squash, and green beans all located centrally. Around the edges of the vegetable garden were now several different perennial flowers and shrubs cultivated to attract bees. Further away on the far side of the garden had been chosen for the apiary so that it would be close enough to the flowers and yet far enough that they would not be stumbled on accidentally. 

Castiel explained how each hive was started with one queen bee that would command the bee armies in the production of the honey. The first year would go slowly, but after established the production would increase steadily if things went well. Dean listened raptly to the soft gravelly voice as he expounded on how they would develop a cottage business of honey production and by next year they would have to have a larger processing area than the Winchester kitchen.

“We think the cabin will be a good location. It will have to have some work, but we have til next year to get it ready,” Jess offered. She and Sam had a small much older cabin like structure on the far side of their property closer to the garden than their house. 

The group had been very lively at the start, but Mary Dean was starting to rub her eyes; she had a very active morning and was heading for a crash. Jessica noticed and nudged Sam to get her while she corralled JJ and started to herd her little brood back to the house albeit with loud protests. “Uncle Cas and Uncle Dean will still be here when you wake up, won’t you?”

Dean and Cas both assured them that they would be here all evening and Castiel had to promise to read to them later.

“So, you’re horning in on my territory huh Cas? It used to be Uncle Dean had to read to them.” 

Castiel looked sheepish, “I’m so sorry Dean. I didn’t mean to…”

“Just bustin’ your balls dude. Chill. ‘S okay with me. I’m sure they still love their uncle Dean. Actually I’m glad to see you fitting in so well.” Dean couldn’t help his wistful tone. He had wanted to get close to Cas and here he was deeply entrenched in to his family’s life. Do it now Winchester. Say you’re sorry and play nice. You have no idea what’s going on in this guy’s life. “So Cas…I uh wanted to say I’m sorry for that night, you know at the party. I shouldn’t have…”

Castiel had been elated to see Dean and spend the day with him. He had wanted to get him alone so he could apologize for running off like he had. In no way had he expected Dean to apologize. In Cas’ mind Dean had nothing to apologize for. He blushed crimson all the way to his ears. 

“No, Dean. It is I who should apologize. I…I should not have run off like that. It was rude of me.”

“No, you…”

“Let me finish please, or I won’t be able to get this out.” Cas was trembling and nervously picking at grass on his sleeves from rummaging around pulling weeds. “Dean, I…like you a great deal. I would like to be friends with you. You just caught me off guard. I…, well I was unaware that you might be attracted to me.” The heat had gone all the way to his ears and Cas was starting to stutter and sweat, he hated to assume anything, but he just had to know. He watched Dean closely to judge his response.

“I like you too Cas. A lot. I…well, I guess I thought you might like me too. But you know, if you don’t like me the same way…It’s cool. I mean I still want to be friends, that is if you do.” Dean’s cheeks were coloring up as he ducked his head. He did not want to mess up this chance to keep seeing Cas. He was certain Cas was more to him than some guy at Seraglio, even though this guy knew a hell of a lot about him and he knew very little about Castiel. Things had gone so well the night of the barbecue early on. There was an easy rapport they had and he could kick himself for ruining it. Castiel knew to take up the proffered olive branch and returned, “I very much want to be friends with you.”

“So can we go back to like it was before…?” Dean just wanted this uncomfortable conversation over with.

“Yes. Yes. Would you like to see the cabin?”

Dean knew the way, but let Castiel lead as they trudged through the high grass and brush from the garden to the cabin. There was an old gravel road that wound it’s way in from the main road to the little four room cabin. The front porch to the rough hewn cabin was in a state of disrepair with loose boards and a barely there overhang from the roof. Indoors it was musty but was not littered as Cas had already cleaned some of it up and hauled away trash in a wheelbarrow from the garden. The plumbing was rough but could be refurbished to allow for a clean area to process the honey. As Castiel pointed things out and described what he had in mind, Dean could see the excitement bubbling over on the man’s face and couldn’t help but notice the way the skin around his eyes crinkled when he smiled. Not a droid. He felt warm electrical currents running over his body as he listened to Cas. This was not the same automaton that he first met at Seraglio. So he was in the friend zone. He could hang out there for a while or longer if he had to. He knew that he was willing to take whatever he could get from this lean, windblown haired, blue eyed, bee loving nerd in front of him. 

Castiel was sad to have requested just friendship from Dean when what he really wanted was for Dean to throw him down on the dusty wooden floors and ravage him. Damn this lustful body or at least that was what Castiel chose to believe was the problem. This corporeal vessel, not his mind or his heavenly body yearned for Dean’s touch. He was an angel of the Lord and was above the desires of the flesh. Dean was watching him and listening intently and every time Cas looked in to those soft mossy green eyes his tummy did a quirky flip. Not nausea, not really bubbles, just squirmy. 

Castiel had explored around the cabin as well, “Come look at this Dean.” He led him out to a small creek that was a few hundred yards from the cabin. Tall grasses and brush choked the banks and the water was fairly shallow, but crystal clear and cold. “It’s fed from a spring, come look. I cleaned around it some, but it still needs work. Maybe even use the water, divert some to the cabin.”

Dean chuckled and grinned at the display of enthusiasm. “Lead on Cas.”

Before long they were at the edge of a small pool surrounded by rocks and noticeably void of the weeds clogging the bank on their side. “Come look at where the spring feeds in,” Castiel beckoned.

Right as they got close to the spring, Cas tried to get closer by stepping on to rocks that lined the periphery. Dean followed close behind so that when Castiel slipped he was there to catch him by hooking his hands in to the waist of his jeans. 

“Whoa there cowboy, careful. Looks deep, hate to have to fish you out.”

As Dean latched on to Cas it brought them face to face and close. Close enough that Castiel could feel Dean’s breath as he spoke and he got a whiff of Dean’s essence. His body reacted and his breath hitched. He felt warm all over and wanted to just melt in to the man.

Dean couldn’t take his eyes of off Cas. Their eyes locked on to each other’s and what the hell? Was Cas looking at his lips? Well if the way Cas was biting his own bottom lip was a sign of his interest, it was right there. Or was it? Dean did not want a replay of the other night so he physically stepped back a little while making sure Cas was steady on his feet.

“Um, yeah. Yeah I’m okay, thanks uh…thanks Dean.” He righted himself and pointed out some things he wanted to do so that the water would be clean and usable. Dean made some suggestions and the silent agreement to ignore the tension between them got them through the next hour as they discussed and planned how they would refurbish both the creek and the cabin. They made their way back to the house after taking one more pass by the garden.

When they first entered the house it was quiet until Mary Dean spied them and squealed as she ran into her uncle Dean’s arms. “Will you play with me Unca Dean? Unca Cas can play too.”

Sam and Jess watched the two men closely and noticed that they were stealing glances at each other and trying not to be obvious. They made significant looks at each other, Sam with a smirk on his face. He knew his brother and if he was reading this right he was besotted with the dark headed man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Judy Allen wrote a series of books 'Are You a Bee? a Butterfly? a Lady Bug?


	14. Tea and Sympathy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trickster works his magic on Cas and Dean

Gabriel showed up at the Winchester’s door with ice cream and pie from his shoppe. He had it on good authority that Dean was fond of the pastry and who doesn’t like ice cream? Castiel had let it slip once when he was discussing some of his plans for Dean at Seraglio how enamored Dean was with pie. Gabriel knew Castiel’s tactics were unconventional and he was actually proud of his brother for the extent he went to delve into the human psyche at Seraglio. He was getting to the root of the human psyche by exploring man’s basic needs and had been very successful before starting to work directly with Dean. Although Castiel had been an apt student of the human condition, he had been too aloof from humanity, never sullying his own hands with personal contact. A lot of the other archangels including himself had fraternized heavily with the humans and no harm had ever come of it. He knew his brother would need a little push in order to get more familiar with Dean and Gabriel had a few thoughts in that direction. He was hoping to use Castiel against himself to get to Dean. First stop Casa Winchester.

The Winchester household was usually lively with two young children and when Sam brought Gabriel into the den, the sight was downright domestic. Castiel, Dean and the two children were on the floor playing with a holographic town that had people, animals, buildings and vehicles. It was tactile and yet there were no little annoying pieces to pick up when done playing. Dean was helping his namesake care for very realistic animals on a farm and Castiel and JJ were producing and testing air shuttles to race. Sam and Jessica were finishing up dinner in the large adjoining kitchen. Gabriel was greeted and then mostly ignored as he settled in to watch playtime. The men probably thought they were not being obvious but it was easy to see that even though they were engaged playing with the children, they couldn’t help stealing appreciative looks at each other. Their glances were fleeting and supposed surreptitious, but they were failing miserably at appearing disinterested as they kept lifting their gaze to assess what the other was doing. Then there were the sappy looks on their faces. Gabriel knew that his brother was truly besotted with his human ward and yet knew that he would never make a move. He had already rebuffed one of Dean’s advances and was likely to repeat the action if Dean were to try again soon. Well, Gabriel decided right there and then that he would just have to grease that wheel and he knew the perfect lubricant. 

Dinner was pleasant and the gathering of the two families went exceptionally well with stories traded all around. After reading good night stories with Dean and Cas taking turns the kiddies went quietly to bed and the grownups had their time together. Gabriel made sure when the alcohol was offered and poured that Castiel got more than his fair share. Maybe some extra vodka got into his glass when Gabriel was pouring the wine. Maybe Castiel did not pay much attention to how it was affecting him and became a little giggly. Maybe Dean thought it was adorable that Cas could not hold his liquor and was fast becoming a flirty drunk. Cas kept touching him on his arm, shoulder and even his thigh. Maybe Castiel kept scooting closer to Dean until he was leaning on him and every time he spoke to Dean he got closer in to his personal space, breathlessly whispering as he leaned on him and maybe his gazes lasted a little longer than necessary.

Sam, Jess and Gabriel were all three enjoying the display immensely, but Dean was starting to realize that Castiel was going to regret being so forward. He was happy and flattered but did not want anything to happen that would set their friendship back. He took the alcohol away from him and went to get him something else to sip on. Castiel followed Dean into the kitchen not wanting to leave his side. He really couldn’t help himself with his inhibitions lowered to this extent. He came up behind Dean as he was standing by the counter and wrapped his arms around Dean’s waist and leaned into his back putting his chin on his shoulder.

“Mnn Dean, you smell good. I like it, the way you smell.”

Dean’s breath hitched and he smiled. He knew it. He knew that there was something more going on between the two of them. He was uncertain why Cas had been so adamant about just wanting to be friends. Cas must know that Dean was totally open to a relationship with a man and he had made it patently obvious that he was into Cas personally. Now Cas was nuzzling the back of Dean’s neck behind his ear and making loud sniffing sounds causing a tickly feeling. Dean couldn’t really move without pulling away from Cas and wanted to stay right there anyway. 

“You feel good Cas. I’ve got your drink ready. I’m gonna turn around now.” Dean tried to turn without pulling away and the two of them ended up chest to chest and eye to eye. Dean was a little taller, but being this close the difference was not very noticeable. Now they were breathing the same air and Castiel was still leaning into Dean, causing their bodies to touch at multiple points. 

“Hey, Cas.”

“Hello Dean.” Cas was not taking his eyes off Dean and looked as if he was memorizing all the features of Dean’s face.

“I like your freckles,” he breathed low. Fuck if that didn’t go right to his dick. Dean was done for if he didn’t extricate himself soon. He wanted Cas to be sober when things went forward. Not like this. But it was hot and Dean needed to move soon. Before he could move, Castiel leaned back and looked down at Dean’s crotch confirming what he was feeling. He was doing everything in slow motion and kept watching the tenting of Dean’s pants with a look of pure want. Dean needed to move now or he would not be responsible for what happened next. 

“Cas, buddy?” Cas looked back up at Dean and it hit him. “Oh.” And there it was. Then light went on and Castiel backed up and blushed. Dean reached out and grasped his shoulder not wanting him to run off again and reassured him, “ “S okay. Cas really.”

Cas started to splutter and apologize, “Dean, I’m so sorry…I”

“Don’t even Cas. Please, I uh…well if you weren’t under the influence, well I…so don’t apologize man.” Dean patted him on the shoulder. He wanted to pull him in for a hug but knew his erection would be the only message that Cas would receive.

“Here, drink this and then maybe, well I could take you home or whatever.” Dean saw the wide eyed look that Cas gave him and needed to make him see what he meant. 

“Just take you home. No funny business. I…uh just live close to you in town, so I’m just offering to make sure you get there. I’ve got an air shuttle today. Get you right there, okay?”

Castiel had backed off and realized that he was fading. “Um, okay…I mean yes, thank you. I would apprec….” And with that Cas’ eyes rolled back and Dean could see he was going down. Guy really couldn’t hold his liquor he thought as he caught him before he went all the way down to the floor. The glass in Cas’ hand hit the floor and caught the attention of the rest of the gathering. 

“You guys okay?” Jessica came around the corner and in to the kitchen with the sight of Cas passed out in Dean’s arms. He struggled a little and picked him up, one arm under his knees and the other around his back and under his arms bridal style.

“Passed right the fuck out. Really can’t hold his liquor.” Dean grunted as he carried him past Jess and took him to the den to deposit him gently on the couch.

Gabriel wasn’t sure what had transpired in the kitchen but he had seen enough to know that Dean was fully aware of Cas’ interest in him and it was evident that Dean was smitten with the archangel.

Gabriel helped Dean load the still very unconscious and drooling Castiel into the shuttle. Dean thanked him and took the short trip into town while sneaking glances Castiel’s way. When they arrived at Seraglio Dean tried to remember Cas’ entrance they had left from in the past and is pretty sure he got it right before trying to waken Cas. Unable to rouse him to any extent he was left with a passed out angel and no way to gain entrance in to the building. He considered going to the front door and decided it would be tricky with Castiel unresponsive and possibly still no way to get him back to his private lodgings. There was no other good choice but to take him home with him and he had to carry him inside. He laid Castiel on his bed and removed his sandals and the more constricting of his clothing, his jeans, which left him only in a t shirt and boxers. He pulled the sheet over him and left him to it. 

Dean was not tired enough to try and sleep so he tried to work some. His responsibilities were greater even though he mostly had support staff to do the paper work he still had a lot of research to do and the planning for the upcoming summit. Gabriel had seemed very interested in all that he and Sam had to say without giving any state secrets away. Gabriel had been very entertaining and Dean learned more about Cas tonight than he had ever known before. Gabriel painted a picture of a serious, studious and very obedient son as well as a soldier. That he had not known about Castiel. He was well aware that Cas was highly intelligent and accomplished in his field, but the picture of Castiel in full battle armor, well that would fuel his spank bank for a while. The current armor used was like a second skin, impenetrable to most attacks and nearly impervious to injury. For mobility it was very form fitting and Dean was imagining what Castiel’s lean body would look like with the armor annealed to his body. He had put in a couple hours of work and was now musing about what Castiel would look like as a bad ass in battle when he heard some movement down the hall.

Yep. That was a groan of pure misery so Dean went to help. Castiel was fumbling and trying to make it to a bathroom when Dean found him disoriented in the hallway. Without a word he came and steadied the still very drunken Cas and helped him into the bathroom. He collected some aspirin and water and made sure that Castiel was steady before he left him. He gathered a pillow and some bedclothes and made him a bed on the floor of the bathroom. It was really the best place for him considering the circumstances. Dean had spent many a night on the bathroom floor and would have been happy to have the pillow and blankets at the time.

He talked to Cas in a low voice explaining what he needed to do and then left him in his misery with a promise of returning if needed. He decided to call it a night even though he kept both doors open in order to be available if the need arose. Castiel just groaned in response without saying a word and burrowed down into the soft material like a nest.

The next morning Dean found Cas asleep on the floor of the bathroom absent of any smell or evidence of sickness. He worked his way around him as he showered and brushed his teeth. He didn’t look as miserable this morning and Dean hated to wake him. He smiled as he remembered how cute and flirty he was last night. He hoped he wasn’t too upset about it as he would like to see more of that part of Cas.

Dean decided a big breakfast was in order and he felt like cooking so he made the Dean Winchester pancake special, bacon and all. When all was ready and he well on his way through his second cup of coffee he went to check on Cas.

Dean chuckled at the sight on his bathroom floor. Castiel was sitting with his head in his hands and looking perfectly miserable. Now it was Dean’s turn to help.

“Hey Cas,” Dean spoke softly. “Get you a quick shower and come have some breakfast.” He held out a cup of hot tea and a hand to help him up with. Cas took the hand first and then the proffered cup with a small barely audible, “Thanks.” He took a couple of sips of tea, humming into it before actually looking up at Dean and when he did it dawned on him where he was and who he was with. “How…What?” He stuttered as Dean just smiled and shook his head. “Don’t even try Cas. Just shower. The rest of your clothes are in my bedroom, just gimme a sec.” 

Castiel was still sipping on the tea when Dean brought him a clean pair of boxers and an old t shirt along with Cas’ jeans. “Here, just use these for now and come on out when you’re through. I made breakfast.” Dean had kept his tone and volume low for which Cas was very thankful. When he made it into the kitchen later, Dean thought even with the grump face he was adorable, with his wet mussy locks and one of Dean’s T’s loose on his shoulders. Castiel frowned at the plate put in front of him, but Dean insisted, “Trust me pal, this is just what your stomach needs. Leave it empty and it will be worse. Eat,” he commanded and Castiel decided it was probably best to listen as this was an area Dean knew best.

After the companionable silence over breakfast Dean told Cas to go crawl in his bed and sleep off the rest of his hangover. He started to protest, but Dean assured him he would wake him in time to make a quick trip to check on the bees later in the afternoon. When they arrived at Casa Winchester, Sam quirked a look at Dean when he saw that Castiel was wearing one of Dean’s old t shirts. “What? He needed something clean to wear.” Dean just shrugged his shoulders.

“Dean, what did you do?” Sam had seen the condition Cas had left in and was not sure if he trusted Dean with the way he was looking at the dark headed man.

“Is that what you think? I just looked out for him last night and fed him breakfast.” Dean was offended by Sam’s implication. He could be a gentleman.

“Bitch.”

“Jerk.”

Sam usually knew that Dean would do the right thing, but Cas had already run away from Dean once. He didn’t want him to blow this. Jess and he agreed Cas might be good for Dean.

Jess and the kids were already out at the garden along with the neighbors who were also tending their vegetable gardens. Mary Dean and JJ squealed when they saw their uncles coming. Castiel’s head was feeling much better and yet he winced at the high pitch. Dean ran interference for him and scooped up both of them, JJ on his back and Mary Dean in his arms. They stayed just long enough for Castiel to check and make sure everything was in order before leaving and promised to be back soon. They declined Jess’ offer of food and Dean took Cas back to Seraglio. 

Dean hinted for an invitation in. Castiel had not said much all day and Dean was still trying to take things slow. He’d spooked him once and he did not want to repeat that failure. Castiel gave him a weak smile and declined. Dean tried another route.

“Well, how about tomorrow then? After work. I’ll ECHO you and we can go get something to eat or just hang out. Whaddya say?” He was nothing if not persistent. He had already decided he had gotten what he wanted out of Seraglio. The boss. Now if Castiel would just get on the same page they could move on. Dean had seen it in his eyes and yet Castiel was either playing hard to get or there was something else? Maybe someone else? Naah, Gabriel had seemed eager to get the two of them together. He would know if there was someone else wouldn’t he?

The hopeful look on Dean’s face shattered Castiel’s reserve. “Um…okay Dean. After work, say 1900.”

“Great. I’ll come pick you up if you want.”

“Yes. That will do. You can pick me up at this entrance please.” Castiel needed to make up for his blunder of a mess from this weekend and he hoped to make it up to Dean.

They ECHO messaged back and forth the next day during work and Dean decided since they had the shuttle he knew where he wanted to take Cas on their first official date. At least that was what Dean intended for it to be.

Castiel considered spending time in the lab, but he was still too tired, so he went to bed alone cringing about what he had done the night before and plotting on how he would explain it all away when he saw Dean. There would not be a repeat of letting his defenses down. It had been a disaster and it was all his fault. Dean had been very quiet all day. What must he think of him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I started a new fic, but I still have a few ideas for Seraglio. Love to hear comments.


	15. Manic Monday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day and date don't quite go as planned.

Castiel threw himself into his work the next day with an underlying thrum of anticipation continually distracting him. He was always excited to see Dean and was looking forward to seeing him tonight. He had acted so poorly the other night and felt a need to explain or make up for it somehow. Social, professional boundaries be damned. Something had to be said or done or Castiel would be miserable forever knowing that he had ruined the relationship he had been building with Dean. He had to make it right. Tonight it would just be the two of them, no family to monitor their every move. Oh, he had noticed some of the looks that were following Dean and him as they interacted and that they were being heavily scrutinized by both the Winchesters and his brother. What he was not convinced of was what they were looking for. He had not even figured it out for himself, but was aware that the trajectory of his relationship with Dean had been derailed from the direction that Castiel had so carefully planned. Maybe tonight he could get it back on track, or so he argued with himself, all the while not being able to get the vision out of his head how it had really been to kiss Dean.

The technology behind Dean’s doppelganger was flawless. Castiel had spared no expense, utilized all the expertise in the field available and even up close his creation was breathtaking. There was something missing and kissing Dean’s likeness paled in comparison to the real thing. He knew he was attracted to his ward, or that his vessel was physically attracted to him which caused unusual feelings in Castiel. Feelings of arousal and want. Heaven had declared Dean irreplaceable in it’s plan for mankind and Castiel had been chosen to facilitate the plan by healing Dean’s psyche. He needed to be prepared when his time came to fulfill heaven’s purpose. Castiel prayed that he had not interfered too much with the plan even though he was not privy to the full nature of the plan. Being personally involved was not part of his directive and he had been waiting millennia to fulfill his purpose. He needed to focus on the plan and extricate himself from Dean’s private life.

Well, he had finally come to his senses and he would utilize his time with Dean this evening to maneuver them back into a working relationship. Their friendship, if it continued, would have to be strictly platonic. He did not want to absence himself from the family in Woodvine that he had become accustomed to. Castiel would just have to rein in his vessel’s propensities and be more aloof around Dean. He needed to get him back into his therapy at Seraglio and he planned on expressing that to Dean and possibly include him in the planning. He had high hopes of Dean interacting with his therapeutic model.

Dean messaged Cas several times during the course of the day. He was really looking forward to taking him to the spot he had picked out for their first official date. It had been where his mom and dad had their first date back in Lawrence and with the air shuttle they could be there in less than an hour. Working towards a relationship with someone is something he should have done a long time ago. Either the time had never been right or he had never been with anyone that made him want to settle down. It was the first time he could picture being with someone and raising a family, building a life and working to make it last. Just seeing Cas with the kids and the way he was with them had softened him, he was great with them, and he was pretty sure Sam and Jess approved. Hell, it even looked like they had been plotting to get them together ever since the barbecue, especially with Jess bringing Cas out and involving him with the garden and bees. Castiel was now firmly entrenched into their family life and it made Dean feel pleased and content. He wasn’t expecting to ever feel that way about anyone, but Cas had really grown on him and he couldn’t imagine his future without him in it. When did he become such a sap? The great thing about this whole thing was that he was sure Cas felt at least some of what he was feeling. Dean had been pleasantly surprised when Cas had made that pass at him and he would be lying to himself if he said he wasn’t turned on. Castiel had a kind of nerdy persona, but underneath that baggy tan lab coat was a smoking hot body.

He’d gotten a pretty good look at him when Castiel had been drunk and Dean had partially undressed him so there was that. Yeah he was lean, but well muscled and, whoa! Need to get your head in the game Winchester. He was getting too distracted by thoughts of Cas and work was a bitch today. Some of the delegates to the summit were going to pull out if he didn’t placate them. Can’t people just get along? Oh well, that was the job and he was good at it. There was too much riding on this groundbreaking decision to allow things to go awry.

As the day and the drama wore on Dean realized he was going to be running a little late so he let Cas know. Castiel had decided to stay busy until Dean got there as he had been on edge all day. He hated to sit and wait for him so ECHOed back that Dean could just let himself in when he got there. Dean apologized and rethought about where he was going to take him if they ended up with less time and decided there were plenty of good local places. He had Mildred make them flexible reservations at one of the nicer eateries close in to the city’s center. 

Sam had tried to help with Dean’s staff, but his brother was just a better bullshitter than anyone he knew and had been in conference with the involved parties all afternoon. It looked like around 2030 that they had reached an agreement and things had been smoothed over, problem solved. Dean voice ECHOed Cas and told him he would be there in fifteen minutes to pick him up.

Then all hell broke loose when the Emir found out what Dean had done for the other provinces and he was irate. Dean spent the better part of an hour appeasing his ego and coming up with a solution. During the middle of the tirade Dean had Mildred contact Cas and apologize as he was already late and he would have to call back to reschedule.

Castiel had tried to keep busy in the lab until 2000, not wanting to be confined to his apartment as well as needing something to do. He spent most of the afternoon putting Dean’s likeness through it’s paces, running operating systems, testing functionality and after all of the staff left he practiced conversation performance. This type of interaction was the most crucial part anyway and even though Dean would be aware of the illusion, Castiel still felt this form of therapy could be the most gratifying as well as productive for his injured soul. It was not lost on Castiel that he had spent the better part of the day with Dean’s likeness and that he had been loath to leave the lab to do anything else.

The voice was close, again a little something missing and yet familiar enough that it was soothing to Castiel.

“So how are you feeling today?” The sound of gravel and smoke permeated his brain as it traveled from his ears to his cerebral cortex putting him at ease. He had conversed with the unit before, but he had never personally used the therapeutic mode that he was currently employing. Castiel was not admitting to himself that he needed this. He needed to be close to Dean and had been fighting his anxiety all day.

“I am very distracted. I have been unable to focus today.”

“Why do you think that is, Castiel?” Castiel liked it when Dean called him Cas so that question did not ring true with him.

“Um, can you call me Cas? Dean always calls me Cas.”

“Sure Cas, if that makes you more comfortable. Do you like it when Dean calls you by a pet name?”

“It is not a pet name, it…it is just the shortened version of my name.” Castiel was a little defensive.

“Would it bother you if it was a pet name?”

Okay, hitting too close to home and exactly to the point of what was bothering him. Maybe he did too good of a job with programming the unit in picking up on social interaction cues.

“I…no…well maybe.”

“Do you think Dean feels affection for you?” Castiel was blushing and starting to splutter.

“I uh. Dean and I should have a professional relationship and now it has been polluted by the entrance in to a more social one. It was not supposed to be this way and now I don’t know how to get back to being purely professional.”

“Is that what you want? To have a purely professional relationship with Dean?”

The conversation was coming a little more natural to Castiel and soon the dam of emotions burst.

“That is what’s wrong. I’m all wrong. This is not like me to step outside of boundaries, especially boundaries of my own construct. My mission was to help Dean to heal and now I’ve just sabotaged my endeavors by getting involved. I’ve ingratiated myself with his family and that would be terrible to walk away from. There are children involved. I’ve really enjoyed interacting with all of the Winchesters. They’ve been so kind to me, but now I’ve gone and ruined everything.”

“By not keeping professional boundaries?”

“Yes, that’s what I’ve been saying.” The snarkiness was not missed by the ersatz therapist.

“I see that you are troubled. Is it because you have developed unprofessional feelings toward Dean?”

“Yes, that is precisely what is bothering me.”

“Can you describe what those inappropriate feelings are?”

Castiel finally had the chance to divest himself of all the pent up emotions and lustful thoughts to an objective and uninvolved entity.

“I like him a lot. My vessel responds to him in a … normal for humans, sexual way. This is foreign to me. It’s like this body has a need to be close to Dean. I like the way he smells…and well we never got that right in the lab.”

“So along with the vessel’s sexual response do you have romantic feelings for Dean?”

Castiel was all for unloading, and he could have just thought all of this through on his own, but sitting here, conversing with the familiar figure was actually helping him to admit to himself what was really going on. He had fallen for his ward. But that could never be. He needed to protect him, not lust after him. So Castiel determined to purge himself, accept forgiveness and move forward. He really needed to talk to Dean, but he did not know how to explain it without hurting Dean or revealing too much.

“Yes, I have developed romantic as well as sexual feelings for Dean and it has been very wrong of me.”

“Have these romantic and sexual feelings for Dean anything to do with our private time together in your home?”

Castiel sighed and admitted without regret, “Yes, I thought it to be a more appropriate outlet for all of the internal feelings that I have for my ward. It was something that did not really involve him so I…well it did help some.”

“So our time together can continue?”

Where was that coming from? Castiel looked at his creation and was cautious with his reply, “I would like to if you would be agreeable.”

“Cool.”

Castiel checked for messages from Dean and saw none. It was very late and he did not really expect to hear from him again tonight. He was feeling vulnerable and so decided to take his companion home with him for the night. He closed the lab down and arranged for a shuttle. They showered together, washing the grime of the day off and then wrapped their still damp bodies around each other in Castiel’s bed.

Dean was worn out by the end of a shitty day that ended with an even shittier evening. What a clusterfuck? It had totally ruined his plans with Castiel and it was absolutely too late to salvage the night but Dean couldn’t quit thinking that if he was upset, then Cas must have felt that Dean had let him down as well. He could make up another night, another date, but tonight they would both be feeling frustrated at best. He had wanted to spend some time talking and getting to know Cas on a more personal level and his plans had been so senselessly thwarted by his job.

He ended up at Seraglio like he had multiple times before without really planning to, except this time he went to Cas’ private entrance. He had the code and if it didn’t work he could just ECHO him to see if he was still awake. He was not going to be able to get to sleep tonight without talking to him. The code worked and Dean let himself in. It was quiet initially and the lights had been muted. He headed toward the hallway and was trying to make at least a little noise, as not to alarm Cas but if he was asleep he had no plans to wake him. Maybe he was still up and watching something he thought, after he heard voices down the hallway. There was a minimal light on in what he surmised was Cas’ bedroom and that is also where the muted sounds were coming from. He thought he heard Cas and so he called his name softly.

“Cas? Cas, it’s me Dean. Are you up?” Dean found the door to Castiel’s bedroom ajar and pushed it the rest of the way open.

“I just wanted to come by and tell you how sorry… Fucking hell. Really, what the fucking hell?”

Needless to say Dean was floored and didn’t realize he had actually uttered the last few words aloud.

Castiel was trying to disentangle himself from the very male body in the bed with him, while trying to remain covered and dragging a sheet with him.

“Dean, Dean!” Castiel was following him as he stormed back down the hallway, trying to catch him.

Dean was so pissed. Here he had been worried about the fucker and trying to take things slow when probably the whole time he’d been fucking this guy. Boy Winchester, you sure can pick ‘em.

“Dean stop! Dean let me explain, will you please? I can explain.”

Dean was mad, but more than that he was hurt. Things were beginning to change for him, but not evidently in his love life. That was still the same. Situation normal all fucked the hell up. Boy had he read it wrong.

He turned on Castiel, he was so red in the face he looked like he was going to explode. “Explain what? I do not need an explanation for something I can plainly see. You’d rather fuck him than me. You could have just told me Cas. You agreed to go on a date with me for fuck’s sake. Why would you do that? Huh. Why?”

Castiel was going to try to explain but didn’t know where to start. “Dean I’m not having sexual intercourse with him.” He figured that was short and to the point.

“The hell you weren’t. Sure looked like it to me. That was a pretty good imitation of fucking.”

“Dean, not all things are as they appear. I was just seeking a little comfort from him.”

“So that’s what you call fucking. Comfort! I knew there was something fucked up about you. From the very beginning I’ve tried to figure you out. This Seraglio is just a big joke to you. Trying to help people with sex. Do you even k now how fucked up that is?”

Castiel was wincing from the barrage of words and debating on whether he should stop Dean before he said too much or if letting him get it all out would help. He probably deserved this diatribe.

“You’ve been parading yourself around like you’re some sex guru, trying to fix me. Well, buddy I don’t need that kind of fixing. You’re warped you know it. Probably pervy as all hell.”

Dean was winding down a little, the power fueling his tirade was dwindling as the anger faded and the hurt took over.

“I liked you Cas. I mean really liked you. I thought you knew that and I was beginning to think maybe you…Oh what the hell does it matter, I’m out of here.” He turned to leave, but in an unprecedented move Castiel grasped him firmly by the arm and used his most authoritative tone, the one he used to command armies with.

“Now that you have had your say Dean, you are going to listen to me.” Dean was trying to pull away, but Castiel had just enough mojo to grasp hard enough that showed he wasn’t letting Dean leave until he was satisfied that he had given him some sort of explanation and maybe even make him understand.

Dean looked at Castiel’s grasp on his arm and looked at him with disbelief and contempt, “LET. ME. GO.”

“Sit down Dean!” Where did that voice come from? Dean was actually a little scared and he hated it but he was also a little turned on. Here was the badass that Gabriel had alluded to and Dean was more than impressed. So he sat.

Castiel held Dean in place with an austere stare and tried to explain. First he apologized, “Dean I am very sorry. I like you a lot and therein lies the problem. I realized that I was developing inappropriate feelings toward you…”

“Inappropriate?”

With a forceful voice Castiel commanded, “Let me speak. You need to be silent, please?”

“Dean, your care had been entrusted to me and I have failed you. I had begun to have feelings for you. Romantic and sexual feelings that are inappropriate for me to feel about a client.”

He had Dean’s full attention now, “So why?..”

“Please let me continue? I felt it best to find another method of relieving some of the energy behind those emotions, and so I began…”

Dean was still hurt by Cas choosing someone else, “Seeing someone else. You’ve told me why but I still don’t understand. I could have stopped being a client. But just fucking some random dude? Or has this been going on a while?”

Castiel could see no other way to explain to Dean the convoluted details of the situation so he offered, “Wait here please Dean. I need to help you understand.” He waited until Dean agreed with a huff, “I don’t see what difference it will make, but yeah. I’ll wait.”

Dean was trying to wrap his head around the whole situation. It didn’t make sense. If Cas liked him that way, what was so wrong about them being together? 

Castiel went into the bedroom and pulled on some soft drawstring pants and threw another pair at the figure reclined in his bed. He looked at him with pleading eyes and said, “I am truly sorry for what I am about to do. I wanted you to meet Dean under better circumstances, but here we are. Come with me please,” he requested as they each pulled a t- shirt on.

Castiel led him in to the living area and before Dean could react fully Castiel introduced Dean to his specially made therapeutic android.

“Dean, I made this for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dean's droid makes his official appearance. Any guesses how Cas intended to use him with Dean? What are the plans that Heaven has for Dean? Love to get comments, although I do have ideas for where this is going.


	16. The Prophesy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas has got some explaining to do. Will Dean listen or storm out?

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.…

 

Castiel knew the moment Dean’s soul came to life. He had been preparing for millennia for the purpose his father had created him for. He had been trained in many languages, his primary language being Enochian, but as languages on earth developed he kept up with all of them in order to excel at his job. He was never told exactly what he would be doing when the time came, but he knew who he would be caring for and when he would come into being. The word of the Lord spoke many times regarding ‘the righteous man’ and Castiel was waiting to serve him. There were several tenets that he did know: his purpose had to do with creating and maintaining peace on earth; the guarding of the righteous man; he would be responsible for healing him more than once; raising him from the pit; guiding him when he matured and even being present when heaven’s purpose came to fruition.

The word of the Lord gave him more guidance than his father who had been present at the beginning of time, but had used his messengers, one of which he himself was, to carry out the assignments as they came up. Castiel and his brethren were trained in battle and fought the war between good and evil so long that toward the end it was hard to tell the difference between the two sides. The wars had reached their height right after Dean was born. His earthly father had trained Dean and his brother in the hunter lifestyle which was an underground movement to rid the world of monsters and to protect humans from the horror they inflicted. Right before the war of the monsters the Apocalypse had been diverted and yet darkness overtook the earth. Peace was not attained and the underground militia that included hunters as well as freedom fighters had brought about peace by infiltrating the new government and wiping out the recalcitrant monsters. The monsters willing to rehabilitate themselves and bow to the greater good were spared and yet were still being closely monitored.

John Winchester had been a great underground leader before he met Mary Campbell, a daughter of a different faction of hunters who were traditionalists. John was of a newer breed, they not only protected humans from monsters, they offered asylum to the truly penitent. Of this union Dean Winchester was born. He came from both traditions that included the old ways and were guided by the older prophesies as well as the guidance of the new order that was soon to come. The teachings that Dean learned from his father were based on not only the word of the Lord’s that came from the lore, manuscripts and ancient teachings, they were at this present time focused on the prophesies regarding the peace to come. The word not only promised peace, but a forgiveness that would be bestowed on those who repented from their evil ways. That is what John Winchester instilled in his boys and how peace was achieved. It was achieved by fighting the good fight, allowing contrite enemies to survive and punishing the wicked. John had shown his sons how to kill and forgive as if both were equally important and so Dean was born into the blood of battle and the blood of repentance.

John knew in order to facilitate peace all of the hunter factions would have to band together for one purpose. There were many leaders of many factions, but the day John Winchester met with Samuel Campbell, the leader of a faction of hunters from the Midwest, his life changed forever. 

John and his friend and fellow hunter Bobby Springer had organized a meeting of as many hunter factions as they could muster or at least a representative from each faction and were invited to meet in the center of the country, the Midwest. The Campbell clan and the local faction members hosted the event. Many were tired and battle weary as the war was escalating and the skirmishes were bloody. They had lost several good men and women and currently no one was marrying or procreating as their lives were just too dangerous. Many older children and teenagers were trained for battle and were an integral part of the hunter’s army. They served purposes that grown men could not accomplish either due to size or notoriety. The great converse was held in a school gymnasium close to the Campbell’s home. The school’s cafeteria was used to feed the mass of people and the school rooms were available for bunking down. 

Before the first meeting was called to order an evening meal was served. John ever on his guard, watching for signs of aggression from anyone, noticed a petite blonde walking up to Samuel Campbell’s side. He nudged Bobby with his elbow, “Say, who do you think that is next to Campbell?”

“Well, I see his wife…”

“Fuck, don’t tell me he’s married to the cute blonde.”

“Winchester, get your head out of your ass, the young blonde is probably his daughter, ya idjit. The other one, nice lookin’, but more his age is his wife.”

“Sure, sure. But god she’s gorgeous.”

“Don’t be a damn fool John. Campbell will have your balls in two seconds flat if you go near his daughter. I hear she’s an only child. Old man’s pride and joy. Hear she’s a hunter too.”

“Well, it won’t hurt to just introduce myself now can it?”

“John, just watch yourself is all I’m saying.” Bobby shook his head. He knew his friend was hard headed, stubbornest man he’d ever seen. Could zero in on a problem and never let it go til he was satisfied, like a pit bull dog he was. “Balls!” He said to himself, he could just see it. The whole meeting going up in flames over one good lookin’ blonde. He watched as John introduced himself and turned on the Winchester charm. If he read it right, the fool girl was falling for it even though she was trying hard not to show it. This was not going to end well. He watched old Sam and knew he was keeping a close eye on the other hunter. It could just be normal wariness but if he caught wind that John was sniffing around his daughter there would be hell to pay.

The meetings went well. The hunters had one thing in common; they were all about controlling the monster’s reign of terror after the thwarted Apocalypse. The end result of the meeting was all out war. John had courted Mary as best he could before the war began and came back from the war to claim her as his bride. Old Samuel was still kicking, they had lost many others and there were still factions fighting underground, controlling the rebellious pockets of monsters left. John and Mary wed soon after the war and after Sam and his wife Deana died mysteriously. John could never get anything out of Mary about what happened, but he always felt like she was hiding something or protecting someone. Mary had decided she did not want to raise her children as hunters and John agreed to become a civilian and leave the hunting to others.

Their love was volatile, running hot and deep. Both Mary and John had strong wills and had to change to accommodate each other in their relationship. Castiel had been alerted of the union and was present the night Dean was conceived. The two had been fighting over John wanting to return to hunting, if it hadn’t been that it would have been something else. Their passionate fights usually ended in epic lovemaking, so Dean was conceived after one of those fights. Contraception was forgotten in the heat of the moment and the savage lovemaking ended with tenderness and tears. John wanted to please and take care of Mary. He really did. She was his life. He had felt born anew when they first made love. She had become such a part of him that he could not imagine life without her and told her so. He whispered affirmations of his love and his promises to her as they came down from the euphoria of their lovemaking. Mary was content to just be held in his arms and she felt safe and cared for in that moment.

Castiel felt a wrenching pull on his internal being the minute Dean was conceived. He knew that this moment was exquisite and powerful when Dean Winchester was created and he felt the impact in his heavenly body. He would be spending much more time studying earth and following his ward now that his presence was imminent. What he was not assured of was how to carry out what he had been charged to do. He did know that he was not allowed any physical contact with Dean until he reached the age of majority, which was thirty three. He would be allowed to help Dean, but Dean could never know it was him during his youth. Castiel had been frustrated by this many times throughout Dean’s life but was acutely affected when Dean was grieving for his mother. Castiel’s frustration in not being able to help Dean was seen on earth as hurricanes, lightening storms, tornadoes causing destruction in all of the four corners of the earth. Castiel grieved that his ward was so traumatized by his mother’s death that Dean did not speak for two years. He also saw that it was to Sammy that Dean spoke his first words of encouragement as he tried to soothe the little one. John had been hunting and the trips were taking longer and longer with Dean and Sam being left alone for much too long. There were usually caretakers left in charge, but Dean did not respond well to them. He was always obedient, but unlike other children he was not lively and talkative. The one thing that could bring a smile to his face was his little brother.

Castiel watched Dean become Sam’s mother figure. He fed, bathed, entertained and protected Sam from the time he was just a babe until he was fully grown. He never really stopped until peace was established and they quit hunting.

He watched as John trained Dean to be his soldier, a true fighting machine who suffered many injuries and even death. Dean had become acquainted with death at an early age and was not afraid of it. He was fearless in battle, a hero many times over. Heaven protected him, so that even when he actually died, he was brought back to life. The prophesies spoke of the ‘righteous man’ surviving six deaths and then reigning, sitting on a large white throne, during his seventh life that would last forever. The first time Castiel was allowed to touch Dean was in hell. Dean had been taken apart piece by piece and Castiel had put him back together. The difference in building Dean back from his shredded body and building an android was the presence of Dean’s soul, wounded as it was. Now after all of the time Castiel had been in the background of Dean’s life he was finally in his presence and he was failing epically in his endeavors.

Castiel knew he served heaven. Heaven’s purpose for Dean was ultimately more important than any task that had been set before any of the angels. He had been given much honor by being chosen to aide and assist Dean, had trained and studied countless years and areas of study and here he was naked and bare in front of his charge with no real defense save the truth. There was no way Dean would understand. Heaven had been very careful about the angel brethren working underground, out of the spot light since the war, with very little mention of them even at that time. Their disregard for heavens’ edicts had not endeared them to humankind. They had been cruel, harsh in their dealings with humans, monsters and their own brethren. It was known that heaven was now closed for business and yet no one had seen any evidence of a new heavenly order here on earth. The process that was now occurring and that Dean was a part of Castiel knew was crucial to the establishment of heaven on earth and that Dean was an integral part of the process.

Castiel had been the target of misunderstanding, jealousy and suspicion by his brethren. He had to choose sides way too many times. He had tired of all of the infighting prior to the Apocalypse and the vying for power by the angels. He had been a reluctant leader more than once and had been weak, too weak to do the right thing ending in disaster more than once. Even when the apocalypse had been avoided, he knew that the importance of his past actions was nothing in comparison to his task at hand. Dean’s success in the final days before heaven was established on earth was in his hands and he was adrift. Castiel had no clue what he was supposed to be doing. All of his long life he had been sure of his purpose and actions. He never hesitated to act. Until now. His mind was in a haze. He had started out so strong, knowing how he planned to help Dean and now, well he may have ruined everything. He needed to salvage what he could. 

Castiel reminded himself that he was a soldier and he needed to carry on the good fight. As he stood there in front of Dean, with his hand on the back of the waist of his creation, he decided to lay bare all to Dean. Dean was strong, stronger than he knew himself and Castiel knew he was ready.

“Dean, I made this for you.”

“What the fuck, who?”

“Dean, this is not a who, this is my creation. This is an android I crafted for you.” Castiel’s voice was calm and even, belying his internal state of turmoil.

“For me? Why? What do I need with a life size Ken doll?” Dean was nonplussed, not having adjusted to the fact that he was basically looking at a living breathing carbon copy of himself. “Really Cas, What the fuck?”

Castiel knew this was going to take a while and motioned to the android to take a seat while Dean was eyeing it with disbelief and curiosity evident by his posture. Dean slid as far as he could to the end of the couch with Castiel sitting on the other end and the droid sitting in the chair opposite.

“If I may Dean?” Castiel sat with obvious distance between them and watched Dean marveling at figure in the chair. “He’s magnificent isn’t he?”

Dean was staring and trying to formulate something coherent to say besides ‘what the fuck?’ and kept coming up blank. All he could say was, “Why, Cas? I don’t get why.” He shook his head and remembered, “and why the hell were you fucking him?” He had not forgotten that.

“Dean, RM2 (so called for a duplicate of the righteous man) was designed to help you externalize your fears in a safe atmosphere, with someone you could trust. You have been hurt so much in your life, even by the people close to you, that I had a hard time trying to find the right environment and someone for you to talk to. I knew that you refuse to talk to anyone about your feelings. I wanted to help you heal. I hoped you would trust yourself enough to finally talk about the things deep inside you. RM2 was made for you. He is what I like to call a therapeutic android, one designed to not only listen to you, but who knows a lot about you and would be familiar and non threatening.”

“It’s fucking creepy man. Looking at the man in the mirror is one thing, but this? This is insane.” Dean shook his head and just glanced a time or two at Cas having been unable to remove his eyes from the disturbing countenance of his likeness. 

“So, does he talk?”

Castiel motioned to the droid and addressed him in the way he had been affectionately referring to him in private, “Rim2, say hello.”

“Hello Dean, happy to finally meet you. I’ve been looking forward to hanging out with you.”

“Still fucking creepy.” By now Dean was up and pacing, too overwhelmed with emotions as he had been up and down all day. He had looked forward to spending the evening with Cas, and had been gut punched when he walked in on him in bed with this…this…Fucking droids. Dean had never been comfortable around them. Didn’t trust that they wouldn’t go all haywire and self destruct or something. 

Dean couldn’t get the sight of Cas, his Cas, in bed with someone else. Fuck, when did he start thinking of him as his Cas? Hey, if he was in bed with this Dean doll, maybe he really did want to…

“So Cas, you never answered me. Why were you in bed with R2 D2 here?” What? Star Wars was a classic.

Castiel turned red, embarrassment was a totally human emotion and his vessel was showing signs of it that he could not control. “Dean I…” Castiel did not know how to explain it other than the truth. “Dean, I was lonely.” There it was out. He knew he had failed his father and hurt Dean, but he needed, no had to be honest with Dean if Dean was ever going to trust him again.

“But, why A. I.here instead of me?” Castiel had balked at kissing Dean until he was drunk and besides, what was this inappropriate shit?

“Dean this will take a while and it’s late. Would you like to revisit this in the morning after you rest?”

“I’m not going anywhere, and besides, I couldn’t sleep now if I wanted to.”

“All right. Let me get you something to drink. Have you eaten?” He moved toward the kitchen and questioned Dean.

“Alcohol. I need alcohol, whatcha got?” Castiel grinned. Typical Dean fall back. He kept a bottle of good whiskey just for Dean and it might help him to relax. “Whiskey okay?”

“Hell yeah.” Dean looked at Cas with wonder when he took his first sip. “Where did you get this?” Castiel just smiled, “I have connections Dean.” He had just poured Dean a glass of Jack Daniel’s. It was something he had learned was treasured in the hunter’s circle and especially by Dean. It was very hard to come by and he was glad he had impressed Dean a little; maybe it would help him get through the next hour or so without running away.

When Castiel was settled back on the sofa with a cup of herbal tea and he had refilled Dean’s glass he tried to tell his story.

“Dean, I’ve known about you all of my life…”

“How?” Dean’s inquisitiveness was going to be the death of Cas. “Please Dean, this is going to take a while as it is, so let me…”

“Sure, sure. Go ahead, spill it.” 

“I was assigned to care for you many years ago…”

“What? Why?”

“Dean…”

“Okay, okay.” This was taking too frickin long. “Take another sip Dean. It will help. What I am going to tell you, you will eventually believe, but I will not be answering your questions until I’m finished, can we agree on that?”

Dean nodded. If it took him being quiet, he could do this.

“I was assigned to your care by my father. I always knew I was meant to take care of you and yet I was not allowed to approach you until lately. I’ve been watching over you all of your life. Dean, I’m an angel. Your guardian angel.”

Castiel’s revelation was poorly timed and Dean spluttered sending a spray of whiskey out and nearly choking, having inhaled some of the amber liquid. RM2 came over to clap him on the back as he coughed and tried to help expel the whiskey from his lungs. When Dean realized the droid was the one clapping him on the back he startled a little, “Hey!” It was said just a little too loud. He took it down a notch and told the droid, “ ‘M okay. ‘M okay,” and held his hand out to wave him off. 

“Whaddya mean angel? You mean one of those dicks that closed Heaven down?”

“I’m afraid so. My brethren and I have a lot to answer for as a whole, but the closing of heaven should be blamed on only on Metatron.”

“You mean like a transformer?”

“I don’t understand that reference. Metatron was a very self serving and powerful scribe of God and also an angel. Most of the very ancient tomes regarding heaven and hell’s secrets were written by him and eventually the power behind them was used to close heaven. Your father was alive during that time.”

“Yeah, he talked about the havoc wreaked by the angels and that they should not be trusted. Now I can see why. You’re twisted. I can’t believe I ever…”

“Dean, there is so much more to tell and also so much that has been hidden from me. I know a lot about the past, but the future is unknown to me. All I have to rely on are the prophesies.”

“So what the hell does that have to do with me Castiel? What is all this?” He waved his hand toward the android. “And why the hell are you trying to get inside my head, or what the hell is an angel doing messing around with my mind?” Dean was more than confused. Ever since he had come to Seraglio he had known it was too good to be true. Something never sat quite right with him, but what the fuck did it all mean?

“Dean, did your father ever talk to you about the prophesies regarding the Lord’s purpose for the ‘righteous man’?”

“I guess, I mean we studied a lot of the lore and some of it was about prophesy.”

“Do you remember anything about the righteous man specifically?”

“Um, there was a lot of prophesy we never dealt with. Mostly we just dealt with how to kill monsters and then we’ve been kinda busy what with trying to keep the peace and all.” Dean drained his second glass of Jack and scraped at his memory bank to try and put together what he remembered about this ‘righteous man’ dude. “I remember there were several mentions of the dude, but the only thing I remember about him was that he had something to do with when heaven comes to earth and this dude is supposed to be heaven’s husband or something. Never made much sense to me. One man can’t marry heaven. Figured it just represented something. Ya know, heaven on earth, peace, goodwill to men and all that. Dad always said we were a part of bringing the peace to earth. I always thought it meant an all hands on deck situation. You know everyone working together for the peace like we’re doing now. First we killed the monsters and now we’re keeping the peace through the Alliance. It’s what I’ve been working toward all my life ya know. Me and Sammy and Dad, hunting things, saving people, it was like the family business ya know?”

Castiel had an enigmatic smile on his face. Dean couldn’t understand why Castiel looked pleased with him. Castiel. Oh. His name finally made sense, it was an angel name. He looked at Cas with a desire to understand, hopeful and yet questioning.

“Dean, you are the ‘righteous man’ of the prophesy. You are heaven’s husband.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I referenced the bible. I heard someone say that Supernatural is just fanfiction based on the bible and it rang true.


	17. Pizza and Beer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean confides in Sam. Mostly Dean's POV

Castiel was aware of Dean’s existence before he ever drew breath. He was cognizant of his being at the very point of conception and felt his form’s presence deep within his being. He became aware of a change within himself. It was something new, unexplainable that changed him from within. He had been excited to finally embark on the fulfillment of his purpose and watched Dean grow from two separate individuals to combine in one life form. He watched as Dean took his first step, ate his first cookie, sung his first song, wrote his first word, fought his first fight, killed his first monster and had his first kiss. As Castiel watched from heaven, Dean’s beauty was not hidden and yet Castiel did not appreciate it for what it was .Even when he came to earth and monitored Dean’s life more closely he still had not experienced the fullness of his physical beauty. From heaven’s view, humans were very unimpressive, like busy little ants going about their business. They were born, lived the life that was given them and then they died. Castiel had watched the human race for millennia, treating it as part of his education to prepare him for his ultimate endeavor.

Even when he came to earth for the first time, he spent most of his time studying the science of man and his earth without being very impressed. Heaven possessed a grandeur that the earth could not compare to. The earth was dirty, polluted, filled with rank odors and destruction. Nothing lasted on earth like it had in heaven. He had watched whole generations pass without blinking an eye. The wars that he and his brethren fought in the firmament were spectacular in the power that was wielded by both the celestial and demonic beings. The battles fought were not unlike nuclear explosions in the power that blasted through the heavens and the universe. The last battle was to be fought on earth and was averted by the help of angels and some very special men, called hunters. Dean was born to that legacy of self sacrificing soldiers and men of letters who fought the good fight with the knowledge that they had acquired.

The angels had not been allowed to interfere much with men and their tribulations. A few had offered guidance from time to time and protected their wards, however very few actually interacted with humans on earth and at their level. When the Apocalypse drew near, his brethren became involved, partly due to the lack of guidance from their father and because the cost of human lives was too great. Several like his brother Balthazar and Gabriel had comingled with humankind to the point that they spent very little time in heaven. Then the angels became involved in what was called the Monster Wars, but behind the scenes, so what mankind did not see were the intense battles between angels and demons. The Monster Wars had been bloody with many an innocent life shed. Children like Dean and Sam were trained to become warriors, living as soldiers for most of their young lives. At the conclusion of the war the brothers had transitioned to statesmen instead of warriors, and so by the time Dean had reached the age of majority and by the time he had met Castiel, Sam and Dean were living sedate and well ordered lives. 

Dean had missed the excitement of hunting, but not the bloodshed. He had witnessed and suffered untold horrors and so he had been happy to walk away from the lifestyle to be part of the peaceful regime now in place. Sure Sam and he reminisced about the old days and about friends that had died defending others who would never know what bloody tasks had been performed to protect them from evil. Dean’s biggest disappointment had been the lack of ‘God’s’ presence or guidance during the tribulation that so many had endured in his name. From a child he had been taught the difference between good and evil, heaven and hell, angels and demons, the lore and the scripture and most importantly the difference between God and Satan. The more he learned, the more he thought angels were dickbags with no respect for human life, sometimes a monster could be a good friend and a demon could be a partner in getting Dean’s job done even though he still would never trust any of them. He had looked for guidance from the church and found that no one could be trusted, much less the clergy or organized religion because sometimes these institutions were more corrupt than the owner of a bar or brothel.  
The Winchesters had developed a strong reputation as peacekeepers and defenders of righteousness within the hunting community. Their contacts had given them cache with the current governing regime and both Sam and Dean were on the fast track as junior statesmen. They had both matured into intelligent, dependable, sought after experts in diplomacy, law and the creation of a peaceful nation. What they were sadly uninformed about was the underground movement that the angels created for the implementation of supportive businesses and networks that facilitated the maintenance of the hard won peace. The angels had infiltrated industry, schools, and healthcare but were hidden in plain sight. 

So WHAT. THE. FUCK? Cas is supposed to be an angel and Dean’s supposed to be a fucking husband to heaven? What the actual fuck? Dean did not know what to say to Castiel. He was dumbfounded, a little shocked and a whole lot pissed off. He sat there for a while ruminating over what he had heard, but knew he was not going to believe whatever the fucker said, so why ask him to explain. He could barely look Castiel in the eye, and as for that other fucker, well that was just creepy.

“On second hand Cas, I really can’t deal with you anymore tonight. You or that, that…that…thing you made. Fuckin’ creeping me out. So, I’m outa here. Gotta work in the morning.” He got up to leave and turned to Castiel, “And don’t bother to call me either. I’ll call you when I’m ready. Don’t know when that’ll be…”

“Dean…I..”

“Don’t say anything. I don’t…Not interested tonight anyway. It’s just too much.” He strode out the door, Cas following him to the door and yet unable to think of a thing to say.

RM2 made a motion to console Cas, coming closer and giving him a doleful look.

“What are you looking at?” Castiel spit out bitterly, avoiding contact with the android and stomping off to bed. RM2 followed him into the bedroom as he usually stayed close to Castiel when they were at home. 

Castiel just huffed when he got in the bed and reluctantly let the android take him in his arms as he had done many a night and allowed himself to believe for a little while that the warm presence held a promise of Dean even though he was pretty sure he had irrevocably sabotaged himself with his ward.

Sam knew something was really off with Dean the next day. He knew his brother, and Dean was on a precipitous edge and would be falling soon. He’d seen him crash before and it wasn’t pretty. He tried to talk to him several times during the work day but Dean kept blowing him off.

“Well at least come have a drink with me. You had a rough day and I feel like hanging out.”

“Go home Sam. I know what you’re trying to do and I don’t want to talk. Not now and probably never. So just back off and go home to your family. I’m good.”

Sam wasn’t buying any of it, “No you’re not good, Dean I know you and you’ll just go home tonight and drink too much and nothing will be solved.”

“Well, Sammy, I don’t think ‘talking’ (as he used air quotes) about it is gonna help, so go home.”

“Does this have something to do with Cas and your date?”

Dean huffed, “There was no date Sam, and I don’t want to talk about it.”

Sam had determined to not let it go. He was truly worried about his big brother. Dean was always in control and taking care of others, but he’d seen him lose control before and it was not a good thing. He’d seen the aftermath of Dean taking out a whole nest of vamps by himself one time. They had hurt someone that they were close to, Dean had gotten way too heated and the vamps never stood a chance. Dean was in no position to lose control of his anger as an arbiter. His role was always to be the voice of reason in the room and he had done well up until now. Sam had watched him chew out Mildred earlier in the day for something minor which was totally unlike him. Mildred and Sam had shared a look and Sam had let her know he would try to get to the root of what was bothering Dean.

“Dean, I know you. You’ve been downright mean today; you snapped Mildred’s head off for no reason. Let’s go blow off some steam, waddaya say. You don’t have to talk. We can just hang out. You need to get away from here before you do something you regret.”

Dean hung his head. He would have to apologize to Mildred. He was being a dick and she did not deserve that. He could not bring his troubles to work.

“ ‘Kay Sammy. Let’s just go to my place. We can have a drink there. I don’t want to go out anywhere. Pizza and beer?”

“Sounds good. My treat. I’ll have them deliver by the time we get there. I’m starving. Gonna order me a veggie, you want your usual, ‘the kitchen sink’?” Dean always ate his pizza loaded with anything and everything and Sam ate his like a freakin’ hippy.

“ ‘Kay, lemme go talk to Mildred and I’ll be ready to go.” 

Sam gave Dean a distressed look which he patently ignored. Mildred was his assistant and he did not want to do anything that would jeopardize their working relationship. Mildred was very understanding, told him to go home, and she would close the office down for the night. 

“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Mildred.”

“You’d be lost, so behave yourself and maybe I’ll stick around.” Dean laughed; Mildred was feisty and had been a true friend. She shouldn’t have to deal with the fallout from the debacle of his private life. Freakin’ angels.

After Sam and Dean had polished off most of two large pizzas and a couple of beers apiece, they sat in companionable silence as a soccer game played out on a large screen in Dean’s living room. Dean had been morose and quiet during the meal, thankful they had something to occupy them so he didn’t have to talk. However the longer he sat there, the more it built up inside him.

He muttered as he shook his head, not realizing that his words were audible, “Freakin’ angels.”

“Did you say something about an angel?” 

Fuck, he did not mean to say it out loud, damn Sam’s bionic ears. “Uh…no?”

“Yes you did. What’s up? Have you seen one of those miscreants? Is that what’s got you so riled up?”

Fuck, Dean could not believe what had happened with Cas and he really didn’t want to talk about it, but he knew his brother was not going to let it go and would find out eventually.

“It’s Cas or Castiel. Dude’s a fucking angel.” Dean shook his head with disbelief. He was still having a hard time believing it himself. He had kissed an angel. Was trying to date him. Had pictured them as a couple, settling down, raising children but of course like usual his life was fucked. Nothing ever worked out in relationships for Dean. It was why he had stayed single for so long. Everyone always had some hidden agenda or Dean’s life had just been too complicated to even think of settling down with one person. That was the reason he had gone to Seraglio in the first place, for a little solace, a little comfort in the form of sex. It was like a punch in the gut to find out Castiel had manipulated him in such a way. Fucker had used his weaknesses against him to get close to him. Dean had let him in and it was all just a sham.

Sam just looked at Dean wide eyed. “Cas is an angel? What the hell?”

“I know, right?” Dean was still a little in shock over the whole angel- droid fiasco. Fuck his fucking life.

“So what happened man? Did he tell you or did you figure it out somehow?”

Dean did not want to spill to his brother all about Seraglio and yet none of this would make sense to Sam without that piece of information. “He told me last night. Guess he figured I needed to know. I’m not sure what he’s playin’ at. I mean I kinda liked the dude, I mean you saw and then he…agreed to go on a date with me. I um…went by to see him late last night, you know work was a bitch yesterday and I had a hard time getting away so I was late for our date, had to cancel. I felt bad about it so I went by to apologize and…” Dean did not feel like trying to explain what had happened next.

“So yeah, it all kind of blew up and that’s when he told me he was an angel, here to protect me or some shit.”

Sam always trying to look on the bright side offered, “Well, he was great with the kids and Jess really likes him. Called him, let’s see how she put it, ‘he was a gentle soul’ or something. She likes having him around.”

“Yeah, well I think you guys were trying to fix me up with him…”

“Hold on there, you were the one that brought him to the barbecue or we wouldn’t…”

“Oh, yeah. That’s right, well anyway he’s a freakin’ angel so…yeah.”

“So you never did tell me how you guys met. So how didja meet?” Sam watched Dean squirm in his seat. Now he was on to something.

Dean couldn’t explain it without telling Sam about Seraglio and he was just so pissed remembering all that had happened and what Cas had put him through. The sex was one thing, but the thing with the mommy look alike had cut deep. He’d been having the nightmares about the fire since he was four, but seeing her like that had stirred up a lot of bad memories and guilt. Castiel had been very understanding afterwards, but Dean saw no reason to be dredging all that hurt back up. The evening they had spent by the pond was…Oh no. He was mad at Castiel and planned to stay that way for a long time, maybe forever.

“You know that guy Tran from work?”

“Yeah, math wizard, works in the Fifth Quarter division, right?”

“Yeah, that’s him. He went to this place…and he really liked it and so he told me about it.” Dean paused and couldn’t think of a better way to tell it.

“What kind of place?”

“Just gimme a minute Mr. Inquisitor. He got some sort of free pass and told me about this place, Seraglio and said I should go try it out, so I went.” Sam was doing his best to keep silent. His brother was hard to get things out of as it was and did not respond well to pressure. 

“So as I was saying I decided to check it out. It’s basically a high tech bunny ranch, you know legal um…well anyway I went out there and decided why not? Legal. Sex. Could be fun. You know I really haven’t had much time for dating and this seemed easy. You know, they do all the arrangements. You just show up and hand ‘em your ECHO. Then it’s instant sex.”

Sam had a horrified look on his face, “So Cas is like a hooker?”

“No, Einstein. Cas isn’t a hooker. He assisted in planning…well he was like a guide there. You know, showed me the ropes and how to get around and stuff.”

“So kind of like a tour guide or hostess?”

“That’s close, he made all of the arrangements when I went, did my interview and stuff.”

“So, you have to do an interview to go there?”

“Yeah, they want to know what you like and stuff. You know what’s cool with you and what’s off the table.”

“I see, but what’s the high tech part?”

“That was the really cool part. One of the times I had a thing at the beach and it was all kind of virtual reality, you know, it really seemed like we were at the beach. Sun, sand, sea gulls the whole works.”

“Wow, does sound kinda cool, but so how did you and Cas decide to date and stuff?” Sam was not surprised about his brother using a prostitute; it wouldn’t have been his first time anyway.

“We really didn’t decide. He was just this dude there and I had talked to him a lot, so I invited him to the barbecue because I thought…Fucking stupid of me. Fucker’s a freakin’ dick bag angel.” The part that was hurtful to Dean was that he felt manipulated and used by Castiel. Cas had wanted to explain and even though Dean felt like he had a right to know the rest of the story, he wasn’t ready to hear it yet.

“Dean, what happened last night?”

“See, that’s why I don’t like talking about all this shit Sam. It all blew up and I didn’t let him explain. He wanted to, but I’m just not ready to hear it yet.”

“So you’re going to talk to him?”

“Yeah, yeah. I probably will, but not yet. Let him stew in his own juices for a while ya know?”

“Dean…”

“Don’t Dean me Sammy. I need some cooling off time and he’s got a lot to explain so…”

“Well you need to rein it in a little at work, because…”

“Yeah, I know Sam. Already apologized to Mildred, we’re good. She’s got my back. Takes damn good care of me. She’s a real trooper. I can’t think about Cas this week though. You know what work’s been like. Too much going on. This is why I don’t have a life. It’s why I went there in the first place, ya know, uncomplicated sex. What a joke!”

Dean was careful the rest of the week at work to not offend anyone with his own foul mood. He could move on if he had to. He’d done it before. Nothing was different about this time. He could move on. He kept telling himself that even though down deep, he knew this thing with Cas had really hurt. The hurt mattered more this time. Maybe he had wanted it more…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter mostly Cas' POV. Cas' got some 'splainin to do.


	18. Inquiries and Explanations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas tries to explain to Dean about their long relationship.

Castiel had to make himself get up the next morning with a heavy heart and a queasy stomach. His chest felt tight and weighted and every breath seemed to take a monumental effort to accomplish. He had ruined things with Dean by giving in to human frailties like loneliness and desire for companionship. He had spent years on his own, multiple times as an angel, but this vessel made him weak. He needed to get the android back to the lab. In the past he had been very discreet and returned him to the lab before other staff arrived. Today he had gotten up much later than usual and would have to face their questioning. Might as well get it over with. He showered quickly letting the hot water soothe his tense muscles and then dressed silently, not saying anything to his companion that took the cue and followed his lead. They left for a shuttle without stopping to eat and made their way back to the lab.

The day passed quietly and without incident, Castiel going through the motions as long as he could before returning to his quarters at the end of the day. There had been no contact from Dean, not that he expected any, but kept checking for messages anyway. The only comfort to Castiel was the prophesy. He knew that he was being used to bring it to fruition in spite of his actions. The rest of him was one huge dull ache that he felt throughout his entire body, causing him to be listless and out of touch. He went directly to bed, alone like he deserved, to wallow in self pity. He had never experienced such a depth of emotion and was berating himself for the way he had viewed human kind in the past as creatures that were insignificant and unimportant mostly. He had always been unaffected by their suffering, choosing to focus more on his work and following orders. Humans were inconsequential to God’s purpose except for a select few. He had assumed that human’s lives were of little value and therefore expendable in the carrying out of heaven’s plans.

The excruciating pain in his soul right now was greatly affecting his body and he wished to be rid of this hateful, deceiving vessel, but he had no recourse and would have to power through. The week did not go much better than Tuesday and yet Castiel made it to the end of the work week without incident or word from Dean.

Dean had been thankfully busy at work all week and tried to rein in his frustration, determined not to take it out on unsuspecting co workers. He spent his evenings running on his virtual treadmill, going down country roads that were familiar from his hunting days. They had criss crossed the entire country as they hunted and Dean had a lot of other memories to fall back on. Memories that would occupy his mind enough that he wouldn’t have to think about Cas. Sam had kept his eye on him all week and Dean had noticed. To his credit Sam hadn’t pushed at Dean, but given him support and time to work out this thing with Cas on his own. Dean had come to the conclusion that he wanted to spend some of his time this weekend reviewing the lore about the righteous man. Dean had not gotten in to that with Sam, preferring to keep that under wraps until he knew more himself.

Most of what Dean found was actually in the bible, go figure. Castiel had not shown Dean any proof that he was an angel, but before they spoke again he wanted to make sure he was well informed. The scripture actually had a lot of references to the righteous man and Dean found himself engaged and extremely curious about what was said. But what did it have to do with him? There were several references to God delivering the righteous man from harm, something about seven times that number seemed to be significant. There were a lot of references to Job being a righteous man and all of the suffering he had been through. Dean like Job had been through a lot of shit, even lost his family, but came out on the other side with things working out in the end. The more Dean read the more references he found. There were a lot about the inheritance or legacy that would be left behind to his children, that was a nice thought, he still hoped for that even though he had no intention of talking about that with anyone until Cas…

He’d always known he’d need to find someone to have children with if that was ever going to happen and it hadn’t seemed as if that would ever become a reality until…Yeah, well. Dean did not want to go there. He spent most of Saturday poring over the literature and gathering as much intel as he could find. He was totally absorbed when Sam called and asked him to come out for a little family time. It sounded good to Dean, hoping spending time with them would assuage his need to figure out all these issues by replacing his current thoughts with the pleasant daily activities at his brother’s. He never thought to ask if Castiel was going to be there, but of course he was. Dean couldn’t stay away from the fucker and there he was with those damn piercing blue eyes, the ones that saw inside of him but shaded him from viewing inside Castiel. Then there was that fucking bed head hair, all mussy and wild. Dean had been itching to run his fingers through it but had never gotten the chance. Now he was face to face with him in his brother’s kitchen and something squeezed his heart when he heard, “Hello Dean.” Two little words that grabbed deep inside him and clutched at his heart.

“Um, hi Cas.” Dean could not look away and yet couldn’t decide how he felt or what to say. Sam had warned Jess and he motioned to her so they could get the kids out of the way. He was pretty sure neither man heard them when they said they were going out to the garden. Even Mary Dean had been coached and went without too much of a fuss, really wanting to see her uncle Dean but had been promised that she could see him later and share some pie and ice cream.

The man and the angel just looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity until either one spoke. Their eyes had been locked on each other, saying a lot and also nothing. Castiel had looked forward to the opportunity to explain himself so he took the initiative finally and spoke the first words.

“Dean I am truly sorry. It was very poor judgment on my part to bring the android to my home and bed.”

“Damn straight it was,” Dean huffed still hurt by the impact of seeing Castiel in bed with someone else.

“Dean, I am not going to make any excuses for myself, but there is so much that you don’t know. I never thought things would occur like they have and have been operating with my goals in mind and not your feelings…I have studied you in an academic way, but meeting you…getting to know you has changed my whole understanding of humans, especially as I am living in a vessel with almost no grace, rendering me not unlike yourself with human emotions and…desires that I am unaccustomed to.” He paused in hopes that Dean would try to assimilate the information. He didn’t expect Dean to be able to understand fully his position, but felt the importance of making him cognizant of all that was transpiring.

Dean was listening, he had a lot of questions but was too emotional to not become snarky or pathetic in his demeanor so he just clammed up.

“Dean, let’s sit,” Castiel motioned to the family room as standing in the kitchen felt a little too confrontational.

Castiel had gone over multiple ways of explaining the whole situation to Dean and none of them were succinct or believable but he had to try. Dean was feeling emotional, but it was somewhere between anger and desire in Castiel’s presence. Fucking angels. Some of the anger was directed inward for allowing himself to become so involved with this man…angel before he knew anything about him. He sure was getting slack in his hunter ways. This would have never happened on a hunt. Castiel himself would have been fully vetted before Dean…well whatever.

“Dean, I have known about you before you were born and I have followed your progress your entire life. I watched you grow up and become a man, then a hunter and now a very vital part of the continued peace on earth by guiding the government. Your journey should reaffirm what I am about to tell you as you must know that someone has been helping you along the way, helping you to cheat death. You have been close to peril multiple times and have come out on the other side, damaged and yet whole.”

Dean was thinking he was right about that part but was adhering to his own constraint of keeping silent as he figured that was the only way the reticent man…angel would finally tell him what this was all about. Castiel had been around before he was born? Old much? Dude was becoming more of an enigma instead of less as he talked.

“Heaven has a purpose for you and I am supposed to be helping you achieve that purpose. I do not know all that will come to pass but I know what I have been directed to do and what you have endured. Your life until recently has been hard, so hard that you have had to be resurrected more than once.”

Dean shivered at the memories, the nightmares of fire, brimstone and intense pain. The walls he had up during the light of day protected him from what haunted him at night and robbed him of untold hours of sleep through the years. Dean had remained highly productive through all of his trials, continuing to hunt; getting the job done was always his highest priority. The terrors of his life had been tamped down, not forgotten but certainly not dwelled upon.

“Dean I was the one who raised you from perdition and put you back together, piece by piece and brought you back to life. Your memory has been wiped of the worst things that happened to you in order for you to function. I do not want to remind you of those things, but only allude to them to convince you how important you are to heaven.”

“Fuck’s sake Cas. Why would anyone allow that shit to happen? Why didn’t it just get prevented? Why didn’t someone intervene if heaven has been watching? Why did my mom and dad have to die at the hand of monsters?” Dean was building up steam now with a lifetime’s worth of anger and pain fueling his diatribe.

“Why now? Why you? What the fuck is Seraglio all about? If you know me like you say you do, then why all the gimmicks, the tricks and the kinky sex. You know that was low. And for fuck’s sake, you knew man. You knew I was starting to feel…I kissed you and I’m pretty sure you kissed me back.” Dean’s face was red, colored with the emotion that he was not able to contain.

Castiel decided to let Dean vent for a while, but not long enough to prevent the interplay between them.

“Dean I told you I have been watching you, but I was not allowed to intervene often. I did what I was allowed to do and have been preparing and waiting to meet and help you all of your life. Now that we’re here I’m afraid I’ve made a mess of things. I thought we were making progress until…well,” Castiel cleared his throat, not being able to verbally described what had happened without dredging up disturbing visuals for Dean.

“I apologize for being selfish and employing your android for my personal comfort. Not only was it unprofessional, but it was also hurtful to you. I never meant to hurt you, but you must believe me when I tell you I did not have sex with him…it. We um, kissed a lot and he kept me warm at night. It felt good having him close, but he didn’t smell like you. He wasn’t you.”

“Did you ever in that twisted mind of yours think it might be a good plan to tell the human that you were fraternizing with, that you weren’t? Human that is. I mean, now it’s all fucked up. I…” Dean was feeling vulnerable as it was and had no intention of telling Castiel how he had been thinking about settling down, having a family with him. The dude was a freaking angel.

“Angel’s reputation with humans has been maligned with good reason. I knew that it was inevitable that you would find out, but was hoping for a little more progress first and then…Well you and I are fully aware that I let my emotions and feelings for you take on a direction that was unprofessional which has led us to this impasse. I hope that we can rectify the situation and that we can at least be friends Dean. I don’t expect anything from you, but I will try to fulfill my purpose by assisting you. So will you forgive me?”

All Dean could think of when Castiel asked to be forgiven were his father’s teachings about the rehabilitation of monsters for those who sought forgiveness. His thoughts right now were chaotic and he knew it would take time to sort things out. He was inclined to agree to a truce for now and hope that things would work out between them. There were so many things he wanted to know about the righteous man and the prophesy and maybe Castiel could help him with the angel’s side of the story.

“Yeah, um I forgive you man. I um…I’m gonna go see my family now.” Dean had enough disclosure for one day and he was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Castiel was an angel and that he had been watching Dean for years. It at least explained some of his quirkiness if not the whole Seraglio deal.

“Would you be more comfortable if I left now?” Castiel knew Dean was going to need a little breathing room, time to adjust to each new bit of information. There was so much more but the telling would only serve to overwhelm him.

“Have you already seen to your bees?”

“No, I had arrived shortly before you did so…”

“Well, let’s get going then. Daylight’s burning. Those bees won’t keep themselves,” Dean offered , happy to have something constructive to focus on.

Castiel followed Dean out to the garden where the young family was working and playing. As soon as Mary Dean spied them she squealed and came running toward them.

“Unca Dean. Unca Dean. Come see what we’s a growin. The tomatas is getting soo big. Come see Unca Dean. She grabbed his hand and pulled him over to where Sam and Jess were tying up the unruly plants to stakes to support the new growth.

Sam and Jessica looked at the men and then each other, hopeful but uncertain as to what had transpired. Dean and Castiel were not walking close together and both had clouded expressions that they were unable to read.

Dean offered to assist with the tomato plants and Castiel enlisted JJ to help him with the bees.

After finishing their gardening, the Winchesters went to work on a meal to grill. Castiel declined and returned to the city early, while Dean stayed. He warned Sam off about questioning too much saying that he and Cas had decided to remain friends and that was that. Sam knew his brother wasn’t saying a whole lot, but that there was a lot to be said. After they finished eating Dean asked Sam to help him with some research about the righteous man, the husband of heaven. To Sam’s chagrin Dean would not elaborate on why he was doing the research, but was always up to a challenge and knew that it had something to do with Castiel. Maybe it would come out sooner if he helped. They worked way in to the night until Jess came and demanded that they get some sleep and that they could get back to it tomorrow. It was the promise of Sunday pie that finally got Dean to leave it for the rest of the night.

As he fell asleep in the guest room, Dean was haunted by a pair of sapphire eyes that followed him into his dreams.

Gabriel was listening to Castiel rant about how he had shirked his duty, berating himself for falling for his human. What Castiel didn’t know was that Gabriel was privy to some information that Castiel did not have. Heaven was a very political place, so it was very much an issue of whom you knew and whose palms you greased. Gabriel found it best to know everything he possibly could and always had informants, people and seraphim willing to be at his beck and call for his favor as a very powerful archangel. Castiel never played the games, too much of a straight shooter, but he was still his favorite brother, the only one he ever spent time with. Castiel needed his help if he was going to get his head out of his ass any time soon. Dean was ripe for the picking and Gabriel knew how bad Castiel needed this, no, wanted this. He was just too righteous for his own good sometimes. Well, he had a few ideas and decided it was time to try them out.

“I know, I know baby brother. You were a very bad angel. Unforgiveable. Incalcitrant. Unprofessional. Things will work out eventually.”

“You can’t know that. What if I have impeded the prophesy? What if my work with Dean is totally ruined?”

“Relax bro. Why don’t you show me around your digs and take your mind off of Dean for a while. Shoe me all the new tech that you’re working on. Kinda like to see that Dean doll of yours.”

Most of the daytime staff was gone but at night time Seraglio’s venues were quite busy. The stadium size venue had a music concert tonight; someone had a fantasy about a popular musician and their band and had plenty of money to spend, so the details were amazing. Castiel took Gabriel in the back way where the staff was working to make sure everything went as planned. The size of the venue gave Gabriel the seed of an idea and unbeknownst to Castiel he was giving his brother access to a way to solve the problem between Dean and him. Gabriel asked a lot of questions about the virtual experience thinking he’d found the answer to getting the two together.

Castiel had a lot to do so left Gabriel with one of his best technicians, an energetic redhead named Charlie who was a genius in creating unbelievable realistic worlds. Castiel told her to let Gabriel ploay a little as long as he didn’t interfere with the patron’s experiences. Charlie found Gabriel to be a quick study who gained her confidence early on as he appeared to be devoted to Castiel. She always thought her boss needed an outlet outside of work, you know, all work and no play making Castiel not only dull but also miserable of late. Gabriel turned on the humor and charm, but when he explained to Charlie what he had in mind for his brother she got on board for her boss’ benefit. She knew something had been bothering him lately and when she designed and conducted that last beach scene she thought she might have figured it out. Gabriel had just confirmed what she suspected; Castiel had the hots for the dude in the beach scene. He had been strung out preparing for the beach scene. It wasn’t unusual for him to be very intense in his work, but he had an obvious special interest in the man in the scene. She barely noticed as she only had eyes for Leilani, the Samoan beauty that had been hired. Castiel had monitored every little detail and had stayed up all night after sending Charlie home. He’d been distracted and moody lately and she had thought more than once that the dude needed to get laid. She would help Gabriel all she could, but she would have a vested interest in things working out as she valued her job at Seraglio doing what she loved. Besides love was in the air at Seraglio, hot sticky love and Castiel looked like he could use some.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to have been a while in posting. Also not a lot to sink your teeth into. Will try harder for the next chapter. We gots to get those two together.


	19. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel orchestrates a date for Dean and Cas

Gabriel and Charlie really hit it off as she explained the process of developing a virtual world and the angel was fascinated by the technology involved. It had an odd sort of power, not as much as angel grace, but power none the less. Gabriel would have to help Charlie design the virtual reality and he found it hard to describe in words, so much of what he remembered was ethereal and hard to delineate. Charlie’s grasp of interpreting abstract ideas was phenomenal and soon they had a start to the design. Because so much of the venue would be computer generated Charlie assured Gabriel that she could have it up and running by the week’s end, then ascertained that the large venue was available and reserved it for a special client using Gabriel’s ECHO.

Gabriel kept close tabs on Castiel all week, monitoring his moods and allowing him to vent. With care he reminded Castiel of his purpose and all of the events that had led up to the current state of affairs on earth. No one angel had full knowledge of God’s plan, but Gabriel knew something that Castiel did not. Michael and Lucifer had been so wrapped up in their own power struggle that they had forgotten Castiel’s importance to heaven’s plan. They had always underestimated him, but Gabriel hadn’t. The plan was laid down by their father early on with each brother holding a piece to the puzzle. Gabriel had been credited with several interactions with humanity, but Castiel had never been referred to by name in the scripture as his father had been purposely ambiguous about the details that were currently unfolding of which Castiel was central to. Gabriel was sometimes frustrated by Castiel’s single-mindedness about his duty to heaven making him dull and uninteresting on the surface, but Gabriel always trusted Castiel’s heart to be dependably sincere and was relieved to have him at his side during battle as he was a formidable and powerful ally.

Living without grace among humans caused their personalities to be stripped down to the bare essentials so if you were a dick it was more obvious and Castiel was not one. Castiel was a lot of things but he was definitely not a dick. He was funny, but his humor was dry; he was kind, but he frequently did not interact with others due to his focus on his task; he was fierce in battle but inclined to being a pacifist until riled; he was extremely loyal and fair which caused the lesser seraphim to return their allegiance to him, but Castiel’s downfall was his inability to interact with humans in any way that did not appear odd. He was too intelligent, too quiet, too stiff for his own good even though Gabriel had tried to loosen him up. He was also in major denial about his relationship with Dean Winchester in that he assumed his role was to be strictly as a facilitator which was making him miss the whole point. Gabriel had put the pieces together the first time he laid eyes on Dean knowing that Castiel was assigned to him.

Everyone had privy to the word of their father, the blueprint as it were for the new age, the new heaven and earth. Most of the angels were worried more about who would be in charge instead of how it would come about. Gabriel saw these times as something to look forward to, peace on earth, all that came with it and Castiel and Dean dead center. Castiel was dense sometimes and Gabriel had to give him a little shove in the right direction, and if that direction sent him in to the arms of Dean Winchester, then so be it. Gabriel had been bored the last few years anyway. Time to shake things up a little and he was looking forward to doing part of the shaking.

Castiel had been fumble fingered all week, dropping things, running in to walls, greatly distracted. He couldn’t get the hurt look of those mossy green eyes out of his head from the night Dean came to his quarters. Dean had every right to be mad and hurt, but it was killing Castiel and he didn’t know how to make it up to him. Maybe he could plan a meal out like Dean had so eagerly looked forward to only to be let down. He needed to do something, but was determined to do it right this time. RM2 had not been out of the lab in over a week; Castiel went by the android lab a couple of times, but felt guilty interacting with the Dean look alike when he really wanted to be with Dean. He now realized how Dean had felt less important, less unique if he could be so glibly replaced someone or something else in Castiel’s affection. Dean had missed the whole point of RM2, but it was all Cas’ fault for misuse of the android to suit his own personal needs.

Dean was properly busy all week with the gearing up for the conference. All of the plans were coming together quite well, but keeping all concerned informed and satisfied was a different story. Dean had his best people on it and their expertise in diplomacy got the job done. He had not had a lot of time to think about the whole droid fiasco, but whenever he lay down to sleep at night he couldn’t get Cas off his mind. He had really felt like there was something there and for the first time in his life he had been looking forward to building a relationship with someone, but a freakin’ angel? He had learned a lot about the winged creatures from his dad’s journal as well as from the bible, apocrypha and the lore, but nothing had prepared him for his own close encounter. Wait a minute…wings? Does Castiel have wings? He’d not seen any sign of them. Dean had heard that they appeared on earth in human vessels with permission from the host, but did they still have wings? He would ponder over the wonder that was Castiel each night and his anger and feeling of betrayal had started to soften. Poor bastard was probably just inept at acting human, even though he was some kind of expert in the human psyche. Dude was like a doctor in the study of sex. Who does that? Probably a perv. Huh, a pervy angel. You can’t make this shit up.

Dean knew he was attracted to the winged professor, with his nerdy attractiveness, piercing sapphire eyes and perpetually mussed hair. What he was now unsure of, was if he wanted to pursue any romantic relationship with the supernatural being. Would the sex be the same? How old was he really? He mentioned he had been around a long time, before Dean was born anyway and if Dean was thirty three, the dude didn’t look like he was much older. Maybe that was just the appearance of the human meat suit he was wearing, but would he age? How strange would it be if he aged and Castiel never did? He was having a hard time wrapping his mind around the whole situation. He had done some research about the husband to heaven and the righteous man. His dad’s journal did have notes linking the Winchester’s to the lineage of the righteous man, but proof of what that meant had always eluded them. He wanted to get into the lore more, but the week had been just too busy. Maybe he would have time after the conference next week. A lot of the delegates would be arriving on Sunday for the week long meetings that started Monday. He had his whole office as well as ancillary staff working like a well oiled machine and it promised to be a successful event on his end. Sam had been great and had all of the legal documents prepared and ready to review. He would actually be speaking to the congress to educate them on the particulars of the new legislation and the research behind it. The Council had given Sam and Dean free rein in the construct of the proposal and Sam would delineate the process that would turn the new plan into law. 

In all fairness Dean had to credit Sam for the new plan and Tran for the implementation. Sam had worked closely with Tran to develop a computer generated way to pick any new Council members and the algorithm they developed was pure genius. Sam had given Tran the criteria for the attributes for someone qualified to serve as a Council member and they had found measurable data that would represent the criteria. Tran was scheduled to give a demonstration of the new program and then the delegates would vote to make the selection process in to law. There would be actual data on real people that had the promise of being suitable who had offered their consent for the trial run. Sam and Tran had already done several test runs but had kept the input and the results to themselves. There were some issues that would need to be debated, for one, would the current Council members have the right to veto a candidate and the selection of candidates to be evaluated would have to be initiated in some way. Would the provinces choose who would be considered, or would they offer themselves as candidates as someone willing to serve? So they had a program for the final selection of a new Council member, but the provinces had to agree on how candidates were selected for consideration. Dean was very proud of his brother and was excited about the impending conference.

As soon as Gabriel felt he and Charlie had a handle on the scene they were preparing and that it would be ready in a few days, he started working on his little brother. Instead of calling him he just showed up at his quarters on Wednesday after his tete-a-tete with Charlie. Castiel was a mess. His hair was in more disarray than usual, he had the scruff of over a week’s grizzled beard, not enough for a beard and too long for any semblance of grooming and if Gabriel was not mistaken, his clothes looked like they had been slept in and from the odor emanating from the other angel it was obvious he had missed a wash or two. He had to send Castiel multiple signals before he let him in the door and Gabriel surmised he had missed work for a couple of days.

“Man, Cassy, you’re really letting this thing with Dean get to you.”

Castiel huffed, “My ward, my responsibility hates me. I’ve failed miserably in the very purpose of my existence, the one I’ve been working toward forever. I’m useless.”

“Aw come on baby brother, it can’t be that bad. That dude is into you. Maybe you need to woo him a little. Make a grand gesture,” Gabriel said with all the sincerity he could muster.

Castiel was pouting, “Like what? Dean hates me and I deserve it. How could I have been so…so oh I don’t know? What is wrong with me? I had one job…”

“Are you forgetting that he forgave you? That’s what you told me. He said he forgave you. Now the ball’s in your court. Time to turn on the charm. Why don’t you ask him out? Give him the date that you guys missed out on. That could be a good place to start, don’t you think?”

“I don’t know. He doesn’t want to talk to me right now. I’m trying to give him time to…”

“Cassy, Cassy, Cassy. When someone says give them time that means that the next step is yours. If you don’t call that man he’s going to think you are selfish and that he is unimportant to you. If you want that boy you’re gonna have to go after him. Court him. Lavish him with attention, gifts…”

“Oh I don’t know. I don’t think Dean is someone who can be won over with a show of wealth or gifts…I…”

“You are missing the point. The gift does not have to be lavish, it’s the thought you put behind it. But you’ve got to let him know you’re thinking about him. Figure out something he likes and have it delivered to his office. Set up a date. Wine him and dine him. Hey, here’s a thought. You have this whole place at your disposal, it’s like love central. Why don’t you invite him here for dinner? You’ve got great food here and you can create a romantic ambience.”

“I don’t know. And besides I don’t think he’ll come here. I caused that by…”

“Oh, no you don’t. Such a negative Nelson you are. I tell you what, tell me what he likes and I’ll get a basket of goodies together. Isn’t he working with Sam on some big to- do over at the Alliance?”

“Yes, I don’t think I should bother…”

“Look Cassy, I’ll just fix up a couple baskets of sweets, enough to share with the staff. They’re probably not getting much time to eat and everybody likes to get treats. Let me do that and take it from there, okay?” Castiel did not look convinced so Gabriel pushed, “It won’t hurt and I’ll make sure there are some of Sammy’s as well as Deano’s favorites, so don’t argue. I’ll call now.”

The wheels were set in motion and while Gabriel was detailing his order to his staff he took a moment to bark at Castiel, “And go take a wash, your hygiene screams more monster than angel bro.” 

The baskets Gabriel had sent to Sam and Dean’s office were a big hit. It was not often Dean saw his staff so eager as they attacked the abundant sugary laden plunder. There were ten baskets in all containing various sweets. Two baskets were overflowing with chocolate confections, two with various muffins, two with cupcakes of all sort, two with doughnuts and pastries and the last two were especially marked to Dean’s attention contained multiple mini pies of all varieties. One held a note addressed to Dean that Gabriel had paraphrased from what he surmised Castiel felt.

 

Dean,

I know you are having a difficult week and are very busy;  
however I am distraught knowing that I have caused you hurt.  
There are not words to express my sincere regret to you.  
Please allow me to make it up to you with an evening meal on Saturday.  
There is so much we need to communicate to one another.  
I hope you will allow me to clarify the obscure tenets of my relationship to you.  
I am looking forward to spending a private evening with you.  
I will send a shuttle to collect you at 1930 on Saturday.  
Regards,  
Castiel

 

Gabriel knew the formal dialogue would mimic his brother’s stilted form of speech. The trick would be getting Dean to Seraglio if he did not respond. Dean read the note and sighed unconvinced about what he should do. All he wanted to do this weekend was to get as much rest as he could before the delegates arrived on Sunday. His emotions were all over the place whenever he thought about Cas. One minute he was angry at him and the next he found himself reviewing every sight, taste and feel of the freakin angel. Now what was he supposed to do with that? He had spent his whole life defeating supernatural beings and now…well he wanted to ravish one. Sam heard all of the hullabaloo going on in his and Dean’s outer office and came to investigate. He grabbed a whole grain organic blueberry muffin from one of the many baskets and went in to Dean’s office.

“So where did all the booty come from, one of the provinces trying to win favor?”

“No um…”

“The Council?”

“No…” Dean shook his head and mumbled freakin angel. Sam noticed the card Dean had clutched in his hand and seized it before Dean could protest. After reading it he looked at Dean to see if he could gauge his reaction.

“So Castiel huh?”

Dean just grunted and started shuffling things on his desk without responding.

“So are you gonna go?” Dean’s eyes were lowered trying to look anywhere but directly at Sam. His emotions were roiling just beneath the surface and he was afraid he would not be able to hold back if he responded. He shrugged his shoulders as he looked away.

“Couldn’t hurt Dean, ya know. I haven’t seen anything so terrible out of the guy and besides Jess and the kids really like him. You could at least make peace with him. You don’t have to date him.”

Sam had no way of knowing what Dean was feeling even though he was usually able to read his brother well. They had spent so many years side by side that they usually were very in tune with each other. It was amazing to see them hunting together, anticipating the other’s actions and working together in unison. Something was different about Dean today. Not only did he look conflicted but there was something else. His expression was solemn and vulnerable making Sam hurt for him.

“Go Dean. It will do you good. I’ve been watching you brood all week but I haven’t known what to say. Cas is a good guy. I’m sure of that even if he is an angel. He might be one of the good ones, like they were supposed to be before it all went to crap.”

Dean looked up to Sam and connected with his gaze, “You really think so?” he said with hope blooming on his face.

“Yeah, yeah I do. I think anyone as gentle with children as Castiel is should be worthy of giving him the benefit of the doubt if not our trust.”

Dean really wanted to see Cas and talking to Sam was starting to make him believe that something good could come out of all this chaos in his heart. The intense hurt he had felt was directly related to the fact he was unable to deny, that he had already fallen for the angel and that was what terrified him. He was afraid that he could not be objective when he next meets up with Cas. He was pretty damn sure he was going to cave and do anything the angel wanted. He had never understood the powerful force that existed between the two of them and he was tired of fighting it.

“Yeah, I um…I’ll probably go. Couldn’t hurt right?” He gave Sam a weak smile and changed the subject by asking him about the demonstration Sam and Tran had planned. He couldn’t stand those sad eye focused on him. Sammy didn’t cheat fair when he used the laser focus of his powerful puppy dog stare. How could the fucker look so sad and penetrating at the same time? Dean always caved.

Castiel listened to Gabriel’s exhortation to pull himself together. He was too depressed to come up with any plan for the date, so when Gabriel offered to arrange it with Charlie’s help he acquiesced readily. He tried to work the rest of the week, but his heart just wasn’t in it. His staff was confused again with his behavior. Castiel had always been such an even tempered and focused leader. His demeanor had always been like a driven automaton, working endless hours and accomplishing so much more than any of them. Now he was listless, just going through the motions and had to be addressed more than once when he was being briefed about a trial or scenario. 

Charlie rescued him from the rest of Seraglio and took him down to the pampering station to be massaged, oiled and groomed. A little attention to one’s corporeal body could be comforting in it’s own way, so after a day of pampering he was more likely to get a good night’s sleep and be refreshed for Saturday’s event.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to finish next chapter by Sunday night. The Date


	20. The Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel's vision for their date instigates some warm fuzzies.

Castiel followed Charlie’s advice and got a good night’s sleep, but the next day his anxiety was slowly causing him to dissolve into a jittery mess. Gabriel knew his brother would be freaking out so he took him personally out to Woodvine to check on his bees. Working with them fascinated and grounded Castiel to the point he was able to relax. The Winchester’s were not at home so Gabriel and Castiel spent a couple of quiet hours without intrusion at the apiary and garden. The bubbling of the stream’s crystal clear water soothed Castiel’s jangled nerves and the buzzing of the bees were mesmerizing holding him in a pleasant trance as he worked methodically. Gabriel observed his brother as he calmed, knowing he was doing the right thing for him and Dean. They were too caught up in the cares and machinations in this physical world to see what had always been important. After a relaxing afternoon Gabriel insisted that Castiel go to the pampering station up until his date so that he would not have a chance to get all worked up before he met with Dean. The staff prepared his body with fragrant oils and massaged him until he was limp, causing him to fall asleep. His shuttle would come to take him to the venue when it was closer to time. In accordance with Gabriel’s instructions he was dressed in a gauzy white flowing robe that felt so silken next to his body that it was as if he wasn’t wearing anything. Castiel was so relaxed he didn’t have it in him to argue and acquiesced to all of Gabriel’s directions.

Dean had a hectic morning trying to get everything arranged so he would not fret about walking away for the evening. Sam happily agreed to run interference for him and Dean felt secure in the knowledge that his baby brother could handle anything that came up in his absence. He spent a long time in his state of the art shower, letting the heat concentrate on the tense knots of muscle in his upper back. He was groomed and somewhat relaxed by the time the shuttle arrived having sipped on a tumbler of his favorite whiskey in preparation for the night. Dean had decided not to decide anything and to go in with an open mind to hear the angel out. If anything was going to be settled he wanted to know what was going on in the mind behind the cerulean depths of Cas’ eyes.

The shuttle took Dean to the pampering station as well where he was treated to a massage and then given a robe to don of pale muslin, earthy and yet light and flowing. Dean was surprised how light and airy it felt, like wearing nothing and yet secure. He kept an open mind throughout the process and for once just went with it without questioning. He was actually looking forward to seeing Cas and if this beginning to the date was a portent of things to come, well he was all in.

Castiel arrived at the venue prior to Dean by about five minutes according to Gabriel’s plan and when he viewed the expanse before him, he thanked his father for his unbelievably wise brother. He explored a little but hovered near the entrance to welcome Dean. 

Castiel felt his grace multiplying unexplainably as he soaked up the energy surrounding him. He heard a soft intake of breath and turned around to face Dean whose features confirmed the wonder he was experiencing. Castiel held his hand out and Dean grasped it firmly as he gave Cas a shy smile. 

“Come Dean,” the angel commanded and led his human up into the clouds.

They were surrounded by a gentle warmth and the air buoyed them along, not totally weightless but the weight of their bodies became lighter and less confining. A soothing energy was palpable, caressing their skin with softness and permeating deep within them. Dean had never felt anything like it, but Castiel was reveling in the familiarity and the comfort of his heavenly home. He didn’t know how Gabriel had created such a wonderful likeness to heaven but knew it was perfect and right at this moment in time and for what he needed to help Dean understand. He needed to tell Dean everything, but now his human could experience what he would not be able to do justice to with words alone. 

Castiel led Dean upwards until they reached the apex of their virtual mountain. The view was breathtaking. Dean was seeing everything. No really everything. The panorama before them included all nations and lands current on the earth. The seas that had dried up years ago were filling with life giving water, the mountains that had crumbled were reforming and they watched as time played out in reverse. Monuments that had fallen were rebuilt and then taken apart stone by stone. Nations of people declined in age and returned to their youths. Armies and the havoc and destruction they wrought were disbanded and nations repaired. Dean stood with Castiel and marveled at the earth and all of the many transitions it had been through to get to the current day. He felt a part of something much greater than he had ever been able to imagine until this moment. Electricity was thrumming through his body and his eyes were darting back and forth across the expanse to catch every nuance and change. Time had stilled within him as the progress of the world’s history rewound until there was nothing.

The land had receded until there was just water that they appeared to be floating above and he realized that he and Cas had been holding on to one another with their arms wrapped around the other’s waist not aware when it had happened. The whorls of clouds, light and color were displayed all around them and the pace of all the motion had slowed until it was imperceptible.

The slowing of the movement allowed the two to be cognizant of one another again and Dean was comforted by the heat of Cas’ body next to his. Even though he had just witnessed such turmoil he felt at peace and at one with the enormity of it all. He felt fearless in a way he never had before. The type of crippling fear he felt about a relationship with an angel was dissolving and he was ready to hear whatever Castiel had to say.

Castiel pulled Dean into a full body hug. It was a hug of comfort, not passion. A hug that makes you feel secure and loved instead of aroused. Castiel had never appreciated the human body more than in that moment shared with Dean. It was time. Dean must know what he means to him and how it all began. Cas leaned his head back far enough to achieve eye contact with Dean and still feel his warm breath upon his skin. Sharing this space was more intimate than Castiel had pictured sexual union in his mind.

“Dean,” came out as a prayer, soft and earnest. 

Dean nodded and gave him his full attention his eyes focused on the angel’s, open and waiting.

“This is where and when I learned my purpose in being. My father commissioned me to protect and watch over you at the beginning of time. You are that important. He knew from the beginning what we would be to each other. I lived throughout time anticipating your arrival just to be told to wait again when you were born. I was only allowed to observe you and so I spent my time preparing, learning you and compelled to right any wrongs, repair any damage to your person be it physical, emotional or psychological.”

Dean just nodded his acceptance of Cas’ narrative, determined to not interrupt Cas until he signaled a need for a response. 

“All I ever wanted to do was be involved in caring for you, protecting you, healing you and helping you. Then when I met you I was drawn to you physically with such intense desire that I was having trouble controlling it. I was angry with myself. I was sure that I was ruining everything I had waited and prepared for for so very long. God’s guidance in recent time has been unattainable leaving me to my own interpretation of my mission.”

“When I saw what Gabriel had created for us today it put a lot of things in perspective.”

“So Gabriel…?”

“Yes my brother obviously understood much better than I what our father’s purpose for me was regarding our relationship. I was so concerned about the process of accomplishing my task that I forgot the true nature of my purpose.”

“I was simply admonished to care for and protect you, for you are mine and I am yours.” Castiel could not help but blush. He had just told Dean that they were made for each other, soul mates as it were and the next part was busting to come out of him to the point that he could barely contain himself. He was shivering with anticipation, but was comforted by the expression of acceptance on Dean’s face. He didn’t appear to be shocked or upset and so Cas soldiered on.

“Your lineage created who you are today, but your soul has always been part of mine. We’ve never been apart, but some part of us has been within each other just waiting for this time. The time has come full circle as Gabriel has illustrated so beautifully.”

“My fear of losing you to my father’s will has blinded me to his original plan. I should have realized that I was there in the beginning and I will be with you in the end. Gabriel saw what I could not.”

“You are the righteous man who is destined to wed heaven, to be heaven’s husband and establish heaven’s reign on earth. You were always the one…and I… am yours at the bequest of our father.”

Castiel could not say the words. He could not. Dean would have to…

Castiel was looking at Dean with hope and love. Dean was still absorbing the exquisite words that Cas had vowed to him, not unlike marriage vows…

His eyes scanned Castiel’s and his heart lurched, pulling him toward what he had been feeling and now he knew what that inexplicable feeling had been. It was bigger than he or Cas. It had been there all his life, the feeling deep within him that made him hold back from others, constantly ruining any semblance of a lasting relationship. He always had the drive to right wrongs, save people, eradicate evil and now he was instrumental in the maintaining the peaceful accord for the future. Is this it then? Heaven’s…no Cas’ husband? Screw trying to second guess it anymore.

Dean and Castiel leaned in at the same moment and started with a soft kiss. The only other time they had really kissed was at the koi pond when Cas ran away, the time when he was drunk did not really count. This kiss was truly the start of something, the beginning, and the two of them approached the kiss with reverence commensurate with it’s importance. 

Dean sensed that he was pledging himself to Cas in the gesture and promising more. The angel’s lips were soft and yielded to Dean’s. Castiel became humbled at the moment he comprehended the simplicity of his father’s edict concerning his relationship to Dean. Castiel was Dean’s helpmeet, his partner and if Dean would have him, he would become espoused to him for the rest of his being.

They lingered in the embrace and then were startled by the sound of something approaching. Gabriel always had timing that was just to the left of right. There was no one there, but the orchestration of the scene had situated a low lying table with a feast prepared on it close to the pair. Pillows were arranged all along the side, beckoning them to rest and eat. Dean’s stomach grumbled when he smelled the aroma of a dozen tempting dishes. He took Cas’ hand and led them to a comfortable spot and arranged themselves close to the table.

Dean poured them each a glass of wine that tasted a little sweet but was also light. They served one another tidbits from the varied dishes with very few words being spoken. The food was excellent but Dean was not planning on getting over full this night. He reclined on the pillows and invited Cas to lay with him. Castiel crawled up and snuggled against Dean’s side. Dean kissed the top of his head and just held him for a while.

Dean broke the comfortable silence when he had collected his thoughts, “I guess I’ve always known that something was going to…well that there had to be a reason for everything that happened to me and my family. Mom and then Dad’s death and all we went through. Did you know I died before?”

“Yes Dean, I observed your whole life. I raised you from perdition and healed your body. I was then made to walk away.”

“Huh. So you were there?”

“Always.”

“My mother used to say that angels were watching over us, so did she…she couldn’t have known, could she?”

“Your mother was a wonderful woman. Strong. From a long line of hunter’s. She also had the gift of sensing the supernatural, the gift that you and Sam both possess was inherited from her. So she knew something. She wanted to protect the both of you and I assisted her but I could not save her. One of my deepest regrets.”

“So like God had you on a short leash?”

“Yes, so to speak. There were things that I was not allowed to interfere with. I suppose you would not be the man you are today if I had always rescued you. Just look at what Sam and you have accomplished in your young lives. You are both heroes many times over. Your fellow humans will never know what you have sacrificed.”

“What I don’t understand is this righteous man business. You’ve seen me in action. I’ve dirtied my hands over and over. I became a monster while fighting them. I’m far from good.”

“You’ve always treated your job with zeal and the victims with compassion Dean. Righteous doesn’t mean you were always right; you always kept fighting, no matter what was thrown your way. You and Sam have created a strong legacy. Your lives have been important to all of us, even when you couldn’t see it.” Cas leaned in for a tender kiss and Dean sighed knowing that he always understood what Cas was saying to be true on some level. He never wanted to be singled out or lionized for what they did. 

“So what happens now? What do I do? What do we do?”

Castiel raised his torso up and propped himself on his elbows to face Dean. “Well right now we don’t worry. We don’t plan anything.”

“We are on a date. My first. So what do people usually do on a date?” Castiel grinned at Dean with feigned innocence.

“C’mere you.”

Dean pulled Cas up close and attacked his mouth with fervor determined to show him what he’d been missing out on all this time. Dean was going to date him like no one had ever been dated and then he was going to date him some more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I suck at writing porn but I promise to try and do them justice in the next chapter. Like Gabe said Seraglio is like love central.


	21. The Date Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas get to know each other carnally. Warning the tags have changed, finally, the porn you have been waiting on. Hopefully it doesn't disappoint.

Kissing Cas was different than kissing anyone else for Dean. Cas was hungrier, he wanted it more and it showed. The desperate way he was clinging to Dean spoke to his deprivation of physical love over the millennia. What started out as a merely intense make out session quickly became heated with Cas rutting the solid line of his now very hard cock erratically into Dean’s thigh. The angel was becoming rapidly short of breath from his efforts and was moaning direly. Dean pulled away for a little, having to force Castiel to relinquish his hold for a moment.

“Hey, hey there Cas. Take it easy. I got you. I’ll make it real good for you baby.”

“Dean, I need…” Castiel huffed, panting and straining to get back closer to Dean.

“Do you trust me?” Dean made Castiel look at him in the eyes.

“Yes, but…Deeeean…” Cas pleaded.

“Take a deep breath. Okay now another. Cas listen to me. I’m not going anywhere, just trust me and I’ll take care of you, okay?” Dean grinned at his angel’s eagerness. “We’ve got all night and I don’t have to be anywhere in the morning, so…just relax, take a deep breath and let me help you.” Dean kissed Cas’ jaw line and then under his chin as he grasped Cas erection firmly and squeezed causing Castiel to buck his hips up and let out a groan. 

“See, I know what you need,” Dean murmured against his neck as he kissed every inch of skin that was bare above the collar of his robe. He had Cas pinned down on his back,and leaned half of his body over him as he worked his way down the angel’s body.

“Mnn baby. You taste good, but…too many clothes,” Dean murmured as he pulled the filmy robe up from the bottom and over Cas’ head revealing his firm and toned body.

“Ohhh, you’re beautiful baby,” Dean purred as he ran the palms of his hands up and down the naked skin while Cas writhed under his touch. Cas was trying to keep his hands somewhere on Dean as he moved, craving and trying to achieve maximal contact.

Dean was rubbing his face along Cas’ lean torso as he made his way down his firm abdomen to the thin dark patch of hair trailing down his midline eventually ending in the thick curls above his cock. He kissed his way down, tasting the angel’s salty sweet skin to finally nuzzle into the musk scented dark hair framing his cock, which he purposefully avoided, teasing and yet promising his attention.

“Deeean,” Cas moaned, “I…oh…gnnh.” Dean bracketed Cas’ with his arms, grasping his body with a strong reassuring hold. He intended to give Castiel everything he had never had and more, hoping that Cas could take it. Dean placed wet, sloppy kisses on his angel’s inner thighs causing the dark haired man to grown even louder, bucking his hips up against Dean’s firm hold. 

Dean planned on worshipping every inch of Cas, but wasn’t in a teasing mood. This moment was too important for that. They had both waited so very long. It seemed as if Dean had been waiting all his life for this moment while the intense power surged through him as he swallowed Cas’ thick hard cock down.

“Mnnn,” Dean hummed sending vibrations deep into Cas’ center causing him to thrust into Dean’s mouth without thought or intent.

Dean suckled the silky flesh up and then down again, slowly savoring the taste and feel of Cas’ solid member, memorizing every inch as Cas canted his hips with every slide of Dean’s tongue. Dean flattened his tongue along the underside of Cas’ cock, virtually stripping it upwards, milking unearthly sounds out of the man writhing beneath him. He worked him soft and firm continuing to hold him down as Cas bucked up and down with progressively more erratic movements. Dean wanted to see Cas’ face when he let loose so he looked up targeting his dilated green eyes on him, determined to not miss any change or nuance that foretold his climax. To him Castiel was already strikingly gorgeous with his sapphire blue eyes, soft lips that always looked chapped and yielded softly when they kissed. He smiled around Cas cock, his lips already stretched around his substantially thick erection as he watched his angel come apart slowly.

Dean continued to bob up and down, licking all the way to the tip each time, running the flat of his tongue over the smooth top, gathering the salty fluid and then sucking him back down.

“Duuuh eeeeeen. Duh duh duh Deeee een. I… Dean. Dean. Dean. Dean. Dean. Dean.” Cas started out pleading and ended softly like a prayer as he came with soft, undulating spasms into Dean’s mouth which was still tightly closed over Cas’ cock. Dean milked the orgasm out of him and swallowed each burst of thick white sticky semen until Cas was left jerking with every pull of Dean’s hot mouth. Cas’ hips were still rippling as Dean pulled slowly off, but not before he suckled at the tip, making sure he had gotten every last drop out of the angel and already hungry for more. 

Dean crawled his way back up Cas’ panting body to seek out his lips that were still repeating his name over and over. Dean covered Cas’ mouth with lips and tongue that tasted of Cas’ spend mixed with the honeyed sweetness that was pure Dean.

He kissed him softly, deeply with a gentleness that belied the heated moment, wanting to savor the feel and tastes of his angel before the moment was gone forever. There would never be a first time again with Cas. Even though he was painfully hard, Dean was more interested in taking care of his Cas who lay breathing heavily under him.

“Hey, baby. How’re you doing there sweetheart?” Cas opened his eyes and sighed deeply, “I’mmm mmm so good, Dean. So mmm,” he rumbled as he leaned back in for another kiss with more aggression than he had shown yet, having been mostly passive as Dean had worked him over. He was still hungry for the hunter turned statesman that was hovering over him, but was waiting to follow his lead.

Dean wanted nothing more than to be inside of Castiel and yet thought it might be too much too soon. Cas was kissing him with obvious need and want as Dean’s hands explored Castiel’s body. He lay to his side as his hand caressed down under Cas’ spent cock to fondle his balls softly, just wanting to touch every inch of his sex. They were heavy in his hand as he squeezed them lightly and rolled them together. As he pet Cas’ balls his fingers began to brush against the pucker beneath them, and found his fingers sliding in an unexpected wet slick. Dean twirled his fingers all around the furled entrance trying to see where the viscous fluid was coming from. There was no mistake. The lubrication was coming out of Cas.

Dean looked quizzically into Castiel’s eyes. “Babe did you prepare yourself for me?”

“I… no I, what do you mean Dean?” Cas responded without guile.

“You’re wet baby. How are you so wet?” Dean was still slipping his fingers around Cas’ opening, teasing and playing with his sloppy wet entrance. Cas was started to push himself back on Dean’s fingers his body craving more.

“You’re sure you didn’t use something, I mean it’s dripping out of you babe?”

“No, I uh nothing. I didn’t use anything. I…What is it Dean?” 

Dean took a big swipe across Cas’ hole, gathering the slick fluid and bringing his hand up between them to his mouth. His pink tongue flicked out to sample the taste of whatever it was oozing steadily out of the angel’s ass. The first tentative lick was followed by a larger swipe as Dean moaned, his expression showing his obvious delight in the flavor. 

“Mnnn’s good. Wonder mmmn. What mmn. Here taste,” Dean proffered his hand and painted Cas’ lower lip with his own slick.

“What do you think it is Dean?” Castiel questioned as he licked his lip and noted that the taste was not unpleasant, but he did not have the same reaction to the thin gooey substance as Dean.

“Mnn. Babe I think it’s just you,” Dean moaned as he licked his fingers. He gave Cas a wet sloppy kiss and descended down to settle his face in front of Cas’ pucker, lifting the angel’s thighs and bending his legs back and out of the way. 

Dean ran his tongue over the opening as he contacted the seeping slick and began to eat him out, hungry for his taste. To Dean’s mind this was heaven and he planned to work Castiel loose as he plunged the pointed muscle of his tongue in and out of the now relaxing entrance. With every push in past his rim, Castiel’s body opened a little more to Dean needing him to fill him up. Dean covered the opening and sucked Cas’ juices out and then pushed it back inside him, making him wet, sloppy and progressively more open. Dean added a finger alongside his tongue, stretching him as he went. 

Dean’s cock was aching, red and dripping, hanging heavy between his thighs, bobbing and swaying with every move as he steadily worked on Cas’ entrance. Soon he would be inside him where he was sure he would find everything he had ever wanted all wrapped up in a heavenly package.

Soon he was able to glide another finger in along his tongue, and so far Cas seemed to be taking it well, opening up for him as if he had done it time and again. When Dean removed his tongue and slid the third finger in Cas’ breath hitched.

“You okay baby?” Dean was anxious to get inside, but would never want to rush and hurt the angel.

“ ‘M good. Good. So good Dean,” Cas hummed as he pushed himself back on Dean’s hesitant fingers that had backed out a little when Cas flinched. Cas couldn’t keep still, needing something that he could not explain except that he was waiting on Dean to give it to him. He had come to terms with Dean being the center of his universe. Nothing else existed in this moment, no matter what his father had planned; Castiel had never felt more right in giving in to the moment and opening up for Dean.

“Want. Want. I neeeed unggh. You. Need you Dean,” Castiel urged as he pulled his knees up further against his chest, opening his body for Dean.

“I got you babe.” Dean leaned in to slurp up Cas’ slick, darting his tongue between his fingers, which he then pushed slowly in all the way. He gently stretched the smooth, slick entrance until he could easily introduce a fourth finger, pumping slowly and twisting to stretch his way inside.

“Babe, you feel so good. Want you so bad. Want inside you.”

“Want you in me Dean.”

“You ready?”

“Fuck yes Dean.” Dean grinned not expecting the vernacular to be punched forcefully out of the angel’s virgin mouth.

“Got you. Mnnn, taste so good,” Dean murmured with one last suck on Castiel’s opening.

He crawled back up and kissed Cas sloppily while taking his throbbing cock and lining it up. He pushed the tip dead center against Cas’ hole while watching his face for his response to the intrusion. Seeing nothing but enjoyment he ventured a little further until the head slipped all the way in. Cas sighed happily so Dean proceeded to slowly push his cock in, stopping only momentarily every little bit until he bottomed out, Cas taking it with breathy moans, pleasure clearly evident on his face.

“Oh. Oh Dean. It’s so nnngh. I’m so…full. I ungh love…” Castiel looked up at Dean gazing in to his soul through the windows of his emerald eyes. “This is so…I never…” Castiel caught Dean’s lips with his and sucked and licked his way in, trying to get every part of his body next to, around or in Dean.

Dean kept his upper body glued to Cas as he brought his hips out and then back, pulling slowly out and then grinding his cock back in. He was enveloped by Cas’ dripping, smooth lining as he pressed in, rutting slowly as their passionate kisses melded them together. Dean’s mind was blank, emotions lifting him up in to a floating presence that was partly him and partly Cas. Their coupling felt as if time had paused, holding them there together as if time had no relevance. 

Castiel had Dean inside him, fucking him. Fucking him and no one else. There had been others before him. There would never be anyone else. Dean was his. He was not going to ever let anyone get close to Dean. Dean was his. Cas tried to open his body as wide as he could, trying to get Dean as far inside as possible with every thrust. Dean kept an unyielding rhythm as he fucked into Cas, pushing his cock in deep, bottoming out with every thrust, the sound of his scrotum slapping Cas’ ass tapping out the steady cadence of their lovemaking. He wanted all the way inside; he would crawl all the way inside if he could and live right there. Cas was his. His. Mine. Mine. Mine. With every thrust the claiming litany repeated over and over permeating every inch of Dean as he fucked declarative strokes into his angel. 

Dean increased his pace as his climax swelled inside him. He was now hitting Cas’ prostate with every slick, penetrating thrust causing the angel to tremor and squirm, overcome with feeling. So many feelings. Intense feelings. Piercing sensations causing Cas to shiver with anticipation. He had orgasms produced by his own hand before but now he felt full to bursting. Too much. Too much. He…”Nggh Deeeean,” He punched out along with the release of hot, white, sticky ropes of come between their bellies, painting their sweaty torsos.

The vision of Cas with come spurting out of him and Dean’s name on his lips pulled his climax out of him with a force that caused Dean’s muscles to clench and contract with exquisite pain. His hips continued to thrust with residual energy releasing from Dean without effort on his part, spasming all of his spend hotly inside Cas, filling him from inside.

Dean continued to fuck into Cas as his body slowed, finally collapsing on top of Cas, their sweat soaked bodies clinging to one another. Dean pulled them on to their sides, mindful of his weight pressing down and not wanting to leave the heat of Cas’ body just yet. It had taken him a lifetime to get where he wanted to be and he was loath to separate from his angel. 

Cas cuddled into Dean, with their legs tangled and their hips pressed together. Dean caught Cas’ lips in his and kissed him tenderly between huffing out breaths and willing his heartbeat to slow down. As his brain reperfused and oxygenated Dean began to feel the solemnity of the moment. He and Cas were together. Together together. Dean lay there, pondering how he had come to this point. He had finally found the love of his life, had the best sex ever and he was lying next to an angel of the Lord. Next, well next he was going to get Cas to explain what the two of them had to do with him being the husband to heaven. For him, he felt as if he was already married, mated, conjoined, and at one with the dark haired beauty he held in his arms. For once he was not anxious about his future. Curious yes, but not at all worried. Now with Cas in his arms he felt invincible, like he could face anything that came his way. Bring it on Heaven. Dean Winchester and Castiel, fucking angel of the Lord would be a combined force to reckon with. Invincible. Powerful. 

Castiel lay there with Dean still inside him, still hard but softening slowly. He began to clench his muscles around him, trying to keep him inside and causing him to stiffen with the pressure around his cock. Dean smiled at Cas and kissed him again, beginning to feel the wear and tear of their scruff digging in to the soft skin, abrading the area around his lips.

Castiel felt as if his life was just beginning, that everything up to now was just the prologue to his life. There was a forceful hum within him that promised life and with the prospect of life with Dean he felt joy immeasurable welling up inside him. The peace he felt only in heaven before, he now felt in Dean’s arms, with Dean pressed against and in him. Castiel knew that the past was now dead and there was a newness of life blossoming in him. He felt strong, worthy and ready to face whatever his father had planned for him and Dean. He trusted Dean. More than he trusted himself. He felt a change in his whole being, both celestial and corporeal, with electricity and power surging through him and between his connection with Dean. The righteous man. Dean. His bridegroom. He was now fulfilling his father’s purpose and nothing would separate him from his ward ever again.

Dean responded to the clench of Cas’ muscle around him by thrusting into him, the slick of Cas’ wetness and his come squelching with the movement. Dean turned on to his back pulling Castiel with him to straddle his hips, pushing his cock deeper as they settled. Dean grasped Cas’ hips as he lifted him up enough that he could thrust upwards repetitively. They settled in to a mutual rhythm with Castiel raising his hips up and down, effectively riding Dean and tilting his head back blissfully. Even with their eagerness for the second round, Cas was fumbling, unused to the act. Dean pulled him down and whispered, “Turn over, on your back for me babe.”

Cas was reluctant to move, not happy with Dean pulling out even for a moment, but complied as Dean pulled him down with Castiel’s back to his chest, resting on him, Dean easily supporting his weight. Dean ran his hands down Cas’ sides and situated him as he pulled his own cock forward and then back, angling the curve into Cas’ opening and adjusting them so he could plant his feet down firmly between Cas’ legs. When he was satisfied with his position he held Cas’ thighs up as he rutted up over and over again into Cas’ slick hole. Dean maneuvered his head so that he could kiss Cas from the side. Cas was hungry for the contact and bent to hold the kiss as long as possible while Dean continued to thrust. Dean held his angel sweetly as he plowed into him from below, the power of his thrusts somewhat discordant with the tenderness of his hold and kisses, and yet it was all so right. Dean felt protective as he held Cas above him and fucked him steadily.

Dean’s face reddened with the effort, and his breathing became erratic, the air forcing up and out with Cas’ weight holding him down. Castiel relished every single time Dean’s cock sunk deeply and moaned his delight, unable to control anything coming out of his mouth. Dean’s green eyes widened as he fixed them on Castiel’s response to him, the angel writhing and groaning on top of him. It was too beautiful to behold and Dean lost it. He yelled with the force of his climax, the sensation causing ecstasy and pain simultaneously as his balls contracted causing him to come forcefully. Cas was still hard so Dean snaked his hand around as he rode out his own orgasm. He had Castiel letting go after a few firm pulls on his swollen member. With all of the movement Dean’s leaking red cock fell out making Cas whimper with the loss. They lay there panting chest to back until their breathing evened out, neither one wanting or able to move as both of their cocks continued to feel the blood pumping steadily through them.

When their breathing evened out, Dean pulled Cas down on to the bed beside him and under his arm, effectively laying his head on Dean’s chest and over his heart. Their respirations were deep and slow as they fell into a satisfied slumber, clinging to each other, sated and sweaty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I absolutely hate writing porn, because I can't get a handle on the wording even though the visual is there. Made my best effort. I Love reading porn much more than watching, so for all of you that are good at it, please keep it up. I plan to keep reading. Fanfic has become my avocation and yes, my obsession.


	22. The Next Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas and Dean ponder what is happening between them and Gabriel lends a helping hand.

Castiel woke to the familiar smell and feel of his own bed and a sensation of euphoria. He was smiling, no, he was grinning widely before he had even reached full consciousness. Oh, yes,… Dean. While he replayed every moment of his “date” with Dean he stretched like a cat, extending his long, wiry arms and curling backward with the stretch elongating his back. He lay there with a beatific and self satisfied smile on his face reveling in his thoughts, going back over every moment, every touch, and every word shared with his ward. He had always thought that angelic beings were shamefully weak if they succumbed to the fleshly desires of their earthly vessels, but now…well, Castiel never felt stronger. He was ready to take on the world, slay foes, build monuments, write poetry, songs or epic tales, climb mountains, plant trees, fell forests or go diving head first into the nearest body of water even though he had never learned to swim. But now he felt powerful and earthy all at the same time. He’d never taken time to indulge in the pleasures of being encased in human flesh before and had neglected to notice what this world had to offer. He had never been swimming, ridden in a boat, gone fishing or just had a lazy day to do nothing but enjoy his surroundings. Now he wanted to do all of those things. With Dean. 

Castiel lay there thinking about all the things he had done with his, dare he say husband? Maybe mate? He was perfectly fine with putting any sort of label on it that anyone wanted, that part didn’t matter. Dean and he were part of one whole. He was sure of it. Nothing else had ever felt quite right. There had always been something missing, and Dean agreed. Cas’ smile grew wider as he thought about all he and Dean had whispered to each other as they lay on their bed of cushions and opened up about how they felt. He was surprised Dean had said as much as he had. He had always been so reserved in interviews, which led Castiel to go to great lengths to find sex scenarios to draw him out of himself. He had high hopes for the therapeutic android which had failed colossally and blown up in his face. Dean had finally told him what he’d been thinking ever since they became acquainted.

Castiel’s research had laid the groundwork of trying to understand Dean, but as reticent as he had been all his life about his feelings, Cas had resorted to extreme tactics to get the ex-hunter talking. The storm of emotions that had been stirred up in Dean, after the scene with his ersatz mother, had been like removing a brick building’s cornerstone, and eventually he started to crumble. Dean explained to him how he had always wanted a family, but was so tortured by the thought of being so irrevocably damaged that he was afraid to share his life with anyone, much less be a father, so he had never pursued a lengthy relationship with anyone. It was after their talk at the lake that Dean had really started entertaining the idea of starting a relationship with Castiel. Dean was impressed at their first meeting with how attractive Cas was, but had not considered dating him until later. To Dean, the moment he knew he was falling for the angel, was at the barbecue. It was simply hanging out with him, and playing with the kids that made him start to imagine the possibility of a real relationship with someone. A family type of relationship. Children. Making a home together. The whole white picket fence, apple pie life in the suburbs like Sam and Jess had, complete with a garden, trips to the farmer’s market on the weekend and toys littering the house. Dean expressed that he was tired of going to official functions without someone at his side, someone to show off and be proud of. Someone sexy like Cas.

As for what Castiel shared about his feelings, he explained that being around Dean had made him realize there were moth eaten holes in the patchwork of his life. He had been a devoted follower of his father’s always adhering to what he believed to be true and just. But Castiel had been going through the motions, like an automaton, with less awareness than one of his androids in the world around him. Emotions were rarely experienced by angels who were mostly inclined to follow the herd like a bunch of docile sheep. Angel’s were fierce in battle with their desire to win for the kingdom of heaven, but the zeal they portrayed in battle was born out of their sense of duty not their own passion.

Castiel had promised himself to Dean now and although his ward had always played a big part in his existence, now his life would be immersed in all things Dean. Dean, mmmmn, Dean. Castiel sighed and his hand instinctually went to palm his hardening cock with the thought of all they had done together the whole of Saturday night and way into Sunday. His face was turning red, blushing at the memory of his own wanton behavior more than what he and Dean had done. Castiel had never begged for anything in his millennial long life until he had pleaded with Dean to fill him and fuck him.

Castiel had a PhD in the psychology of sexual behavior, but had never experienced personal desire. Since inhabiting this earthly vessel he had certainly yielded to his physiological response to sexual stimuli by masturbating, but he had never even pondered about what it would be like to actually have sex with someone, unsanitarily exchanging body fluids and being led about life directed by one’s libido. He had studied sex. He was an expert, the preeminent expert in the field and yet, here he was, for the first time experiencing it for himself. In the flesh. With Dean. Aaah, Dean.

Castiel had ogled Dean during his research activities while the exquisite piece of man flesh had sex with others, but nothing could compare with the real thing. Castiel had been mesmerized by Dean’s persona and presence, had soaked him in both literally and figuratively. Dean had coated his insides multiple times with the hot, white liquid from his core, his essence melding with Castiel’s and he had begged for more. Dean filling him was something Castiel didn’t think he would ever tire of, nor his craving for the mossy green eyed man. They had slept, talked, cuddled and fucked for a whole twenty four hours from the night leading into the next day and the ghost of Dean’s substantial member still lingered inside him. Cas wiggled and stretched again at the thought when he noticed the time glaring at him from his bright, floating , motion sensitive holographic clock. Drat. Monday morning and work were looming ahead of him, but at least he had the promise this evening of being Dean’s partner at the Councils grand soiree for the attendees of the conference. It would be their first time out in public together and he was not looking forward to the large crowd. Big perk, Dean would be by his side and Sam was supposed to be there with Jessica so there would be a couple of friendly faces. He did not doubt he would recognize some of the other officials as some of them frequented Seraglio quite often. He was interested in seeing Dean in his element, working the crowd and it would be worth that to brave the press of a crowd. There would be live music and dancing which made him wonder if Dean would ask him to dance. Bubbles of anxiety started creeping up as the vision of Dean leading him gracefully around the floor collided with the reality that he had never learned how to dance. Dear father, what could he do about that on such short notice? As he started to slowly build up to a total freak out he realized that he didn’t have the proper formal attire either. At Seraglio’s functions he was always in his work clothing, minus the tan lab coat, plus a navy jacket. Surely Gabriel or some of the staff could help him out, give him a crash course in dance and help him pick out a tuxedo of some sort. Gabriel would tell him honestly how he looked without having to rely on his co workers and employees to give him accurate feedback. He rubbed his eyes one last time and willed himself to rise and begin his day with thoughts of Dean propelling him in to action.

Charlie had set Gabriel up with the surveillance monitors after they completed the preparations for his angel brother’s date with Dean. Gabriel knew there was a lot riding on the outcome and that even with all of the detailed planning, he still might have to adjust the settings to smooth the way for the pair to bond. Castiel was brilliant and clueless all at the same time, oblivious to what was sometimes right in front of him. The archangel was very proud of the magnificence of the theatrical presentation he had designed with Charlie’s technical assistance, but only he knew what would be triggered by the pheromones that he had been slipping into Cas’ honey. He had always known what his father had planned for his brother, but had never felt the need to disclose the full plan to Castiel. Dean’s guardian angel did not have to know about Gabriel befriending Castiel’s supplier of all things honey. The friendly beekeeper had been selling the ingredient to the proprietor of multiple restaurants and sweet shops for years making Gabriel the local apiculturist’s main buyer.

Voyeurism came naturally to angels. They had been watching over people so long they could be objective easily. Gabriel had no prurient interest in watching the two copulate, so when he settled in for the evening he had no qualms about viewing his brother’s deflowering. He was just there to make sure things played out according to plan. The pair was sickeningly adorable, ogling and touching each other. He was pleased to see the meal not distract them from the main event. Deano wasted no time in wrapping his full, pink lips around Castiel’s leaking cock and the pheromones had his brother begging for Dean to fuck him. ‘Oh, Cassy. Those pheromones have turned you in to a right slutty little angel’. Now wait for it….Gabriel sat forward in his seat, anticipating the result of Dean’s attention to Cas’ body combined with Cas’ pheromone infused desire. And there it is. ‘Mission accomplished’. Gabriel chuckled to himself as Dean brought the slick oozing from Cas’ ass to his lips and tasted. There was no turning back now. Next the energetic mating began and Gabriel breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the proper wheels had been set in motion. Now it’s just a matter of time. The long awaited new millennia and the events that would restructure heaven and earth were just a few heavenly moments away. The fun was just beginning. 

Dean had trouble falling to sleep Sunday night. He knew that he should be physically worn out and relaxed, but the fear had set in again. The tendrils of the vines of worry were creeping around him, tightening like a boa constrictor crushing the air out of him. He was hyperventilating as he squirmed from the pain of his musings. He didn’t know whether he was more scared about his own failings or the fact that he had just screwed an angel, albeit a very handsome angel, with piercing blue eyes that could see him for what he truly was inside and out. No sense in just laying there tortured by his thoughts. He padded in to his living area and poured himself a brimming glass of whiskey and downed half of it in a few frantic gulps. He paced as he finished the rest of the glass just a little slower than at first and then poured himself another.

What the actual fuck was wrong with him? Things had gone so well with Cas. He’d never felt so right about being with someone before and the sex had been…well the sex was awesome, but what was bothering him the most was the idea that all of this with him and Cas was supposed to be some big deal. A big heavenly deal…of biblical proportions…world changing…with tons of the responsibility on his shoulders. Freakin God. Where was he in this deal? How was he supposed to know what to do? Dean decided to spend some time in research; he wasn’t going to go to sleep easily so he might as well be productive. He read for a while, frustrated at finding nothing new he huffed as he slammed shut the large book he had been perusing and went back to bed, perturbed but a little more relaxed from the two tumblers of whiskey he had downed. 

The next morning Dean got up early, put on his game face and prepared for the eventful day ahead of him. Mildred had his tuxedo ready for him at the office along with the detailed outline of the day’s prioritized activities she had prepared for him. All of the time not focusing on his responsibilities at work over the weekend had helped him to start the day with a new perspective. If God was going to use him as heaven’s…well… whatever? Let’s burn this mother down. This day was safely in his pocket. People to appease, laws to change, demonstrations to give, and speeches to be made; all just part of a normal day at the office. As the new head liaison to the provinces, he would give the opening speech to exhort the attendees to approve what he and Sam had orchestrated over the last two months with lots of staff helping, not the least of which was his buddy Tran. The festivities of the evening would begin at the culmination of what was destined to be a very eventful day and Cas would be there. He had not talked to him since last night and Dean had been feeling bereft of his company. The hours they spent together had been so perfect and the dread of last night was mostly gone in the light of day.

“Hey angel,” Dean spoke when Cas answered his communicator.

“Dean,” Cas breathed in response. He couldn’t wipe the shit eating grin off his face at the sound of Dean’s voice.

“I miss you.” Dean couldn’t hide the note of worry behind the statement and Cas picked up on it right away.

“I miss you too. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I…um…today’s just going to be really busy and so I won’t be able to talk to you until tonight. You still coming?”

“Of course Dean. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I have to find something to wear. I don’t have any formal clothes, but I think I’ve got it covered.” The timbre of his voice belied the inner panic he was feeling.

“Good. I wouldn’t care what you wear babe, actually you in nothing at all is my preference, but…public gathering and all…maybe after? Come home with me tonight?” Dean was hopeful.

Cas was quick to answer, “Yes. Yes Dean, I would love to go home with you. That will be what I’m thinking of all day, especially at the party. I’ll be thinking about going home with you,” he finished softly.

“So tonight then? I’ll be thinking of you too when I have a spare moment. If I think of you too much I’ll embarrass myself in front of a bunch of people.” Dean smiled and said reluctantly, “Gotta go now. See you tonight then?”

“Tonight Dean.I…um tonight.”

Castiel punched in Gabriel’s ECHO as soon as he finished talking to Dean and when he answered Castiel punched out, “Gabriel, I need help. I need…I don’t know, can you help me?”

“Slow down bro. What do need?”

“I need clothes, I need to know how to dance and I don’t have…I don’t know how to dance or what to wear and I need to by tonight. I mean I need to dance by tonight…” Castiel was babbling so Gabriel interrupted him, “Slow down, bro. You sound like a teenage girl going to her first high school dance, wait a minute. You are a girl getting ready for your first dance.” Gabriel delivered with a giggle. “You are the girl in this relationship, am I right?”

“Gaaabe,” Cas practically whined, as much as an angel of the Lord could whine. “I need help. Will please come over and help me? Please?”

“Say no more baby brother. On my way.” Gabriel rubbed his hands together and smirked. He was so going to get a lot of mileage out of this. Castiel sounded so desperate and Gabriel had no intention of letting him forget.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just some plot building. Wanted to get a quick chapter up. More to come, hopefully soon.


	23. The Announcement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean has a little surprise in store for him at the conference. He is about to face his destiny.

Castiel flitted around Seraglio, checking on his staff and attending to business as much as possible in his distracted state while waiting for Gabriel. When he got an ECHO that his brother was on the premises and was getting on the shuttle that Cas had arranged for him, Castiel went to the main wardrobe and staging area and met with the staff’s tailor.

“Woo hoo bro. Next time I need something to wear I’m gonna check out your closet first,” Gabriel whistled as he rifled through the racks upon racks of men’s clothing when they started browsing in the men’s formal wear. There were whole rooms filled with period pieces from every era and many fantastical outfits that allowed the imagination to soar. There were traditional and conservative tuxedos, but Gabriel was definitely drawn to the ones with vibrant colors, details full of fancy as well as one’s with the more unusual cuts. There were rows of baby blue tuxes, pristine white cut aways, dove grey morning suits, and flashy shark skin burgundy jackets. Castiel had already perused images of what was available or suggested by the tailor when they had viewed Castiel’s avatar trying them on as a holographic figure. Now they were depending on Gabriel to help them choose. 

Castiel was at a total loss presented with so many options and was in a dither as he sorted through suit after suit, without any idea of what he wanted or needed.

“Help,” he squeaked with his hands turned up in supplication to his brother. “What am I supposed to do? How do I pick?” The mousey tailor was quietly trying to follow Castiel around to get his measurements for accurate sizing as the angel fidgeted and paced as he spoke with his brother. In previous interactions with Castiel, his superior, the tailor had found him to be commanding and unapproachable. There was nothing aloof about the dark haired scientist as he fluttered around in amongst the colorful array of clothing, not unlike a butterfly in a field of flowers he would light on a likely specimen and then flap his wings moving on to some other color or style. The tailor finally got the measurements he wanted after multiple stops and starts trailing behind the fluttering angel.

Gabriel began pulling out suits and holding them up in front of Castiel to eye each possible choice against his brother’s coloring. Castiel vetoed the flashier ones. “I am not wearing pink!” He also did not appreciate Gabriel’s choices of a rainbow colored tuxedo, the one with flashing lights, or the one covered in feathers. It looked too much like the remains of dead birds to him which was just sad, instead of festive.

“It’s salmon, not pink. Besides it suits you bro.”

“Nuh uh. Don’t like it. How about this?” Castiel was holding up a traditionally cut, black tux with silk lapels. 

“Not bad, for a funeral,” Gabe huffed. “You won’t stand out very much in that.”

“Why would I want to stand out? I just want to look good for Dean.” Castiel frowned and put the dark suit back.

“”You, my clueless brother, need to make a good impression on everyone. Dean is a V.I.P. now, moving up in the world. I think you forget how important he is. Everyone will be watching him and you will be at his side, so you need to dress the part bro. No one will even see you standing next to ‘his hotness’ if you show up in something drab.”

Castiel had a faraway look in his eye and a slowly evolving secretive smile as he went inside his head.

“Hey, are you still here? Come on. Quit thinking lewd, naked thoughts about your gorgeous human and get busy. We still have to pick a suit and then we need to work on your dance moves bro. Snap out of it.” 

Castiel looked up to meet Gabriel’s eyes, “He is very attractive isn’t he? I’ve never seen anyone so…”

“Yeah, yeah. He’s a pretty, pretty man and you two are so in looove. You still need to pick a suit.” Gabriel shook his head and smiled, gazing at his brother up and down, appraising him to get an idea.

“I know! Come on,” Gabriel exclaimed as he grabbed Castiel’s hand and pulled him along. They ended up in front of a rack with several darker blue suits. Gabriel rifled through the racks until he found what he was looking for and hopefully in Cas’ size. “This, baby bro, will look fabulous on you.” He held the suit against his front and modeled for Castiel. “Do ya like?”

“Hmmm. Maybe?” Castiel touched the sleeve and looked the suit over. 

“Try it on. Let’s find a shirt and tie.

The tailor helped the angels find everything they needed down to the shoes and offered to have everything pressed and in good order when he sent them later to Castiel’s rooms.

There was a dance studio at Seraglio and Castiel confirmed it was available before they took a shuttle over. The dance master assisted them with music that was commonly played for entertainment at the Alliance’s grand affairs. Government functions were usually pretty stuffy, but he assured them that there would be plenty of appropriate numbers for Castiel to be able blend in, even possessing his minimal skills.

Gabriel offered his hand to Castiel as he took the leader’s stance with his hand at his brother’s waist. The master stood behind Castiel to help him with his form and to show him how to follow Gabriel’s lead.

“Why are you leading instead of me?” Castiel questioned.

“You’re kidding, right? You are the girl in this relationship. I keep telling you. And besides, I’m pretty sure Dean will do a better job at leading,” Gabriel smirked and wiggled his eyebrows up and down. “He’s had more experience ‘dancing’ wouldn’t you say? Now bat those baby blues at me like you would at Deano and let’s dance.”

Castiel was nervous more about disappointing Dean than what anyone else would think about his performance, so he paid attention and tried his hardest to at least approximate the steps he was shown. With the master behind him, guiding him he eventually got the hang of a few simple steps, enough to slow dance, albeit awkwardly. His body was amenable to the rhythm, but in his head he was having trouble coordinating the steps to the music. After two hours of sweaty, concerted effort, they decided they had done enough and Castiel went to be groomed at the pampering station. At least he would look good tonight.

Gabriel hung out until he was satisfied with his brother’s appearance and shared a shuttle to the grand ballroom at one of his restaurants ‘Heaven’s Gate’ that adjoined The Alliance headquarters. As the head of all things edible, Gabriel was usually in charge of the food and refreshments at any of the Alliance’s major functions and had been in contact with his staff throughout the day and was reassured that everything was going as planned. He dropped Castiel at the front entrance where the dignitaries were greeted and escorted into the ballroom. Castiel had agreed to meet Dean there as his work would keep him occupied until the very last minute.

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Mildred had done her best to keep Dean on track all day and with Dean’s unwavering energy they had accomplished a lot. Dean was responsible for the opening speech at the conference. He was of course introduced by the Council as the driving force behind the new legislation along with his brother Sam and yet Dean was taken aback by what was said in the introduction. He was beginning to suspect that there was something afoot that he and Sam were oblivious to after the introduction. So much had happened recently after a mostly uneventful five years of relative calm and lack of controversy.

As the meeting was called to order, the Council was stationed on a dais in the front of the theater style conference room, with the tables in a semicircle facing the front. The room was very utilitarian with clean lines and multiple monitors hovering above each table, displaying real-time conference images as well as the agenda. 

There was a council member from each of the nine provinces; the member from the Fifth Quarter and the Winchester’s home stood to introduce Dean.

“Dean Winchester, son of John Winchester the lauded hunter and a legacy of both ‘the Men of Letters’ as well as a descendant of the original ‘Righteous Man’, is an incomparable statesman, fearless hunter and now a gifted legislator. The Council of the Alliance as a whole has depended on this man for much. With the help of his brother, Samuel Winchester and their combined staff, they have worked earnestly in solving the conundrum of the inadequate plan for the perpetuation of the Council and they plan to present their solution to all present today.”

“These men have our full support and we urge you to believe that they have the Alliance’s best interest at heart. They have both been instrumental in not only obtaining the peace through their hunting exploits, but have fought both physically and politically to maintain the peace. The Council wants to go on record in stating that we are absolute and unified in supporting the Winchester’s recommendations for this legislation. No two men have done more for us all and we are determined to follow their lead.”

Dean and Sam were seated in the front row with Tran. Dean had been behind the scenes for much of his career and was already reluctant about being a focus today, but was committed to the work. The praise being heaped on him and his brother may be deserved but not desired. Dean was anxious to get his part over with and get on with it. Sam and Tran’s demonstration would be enough to have everyone understand the process; he was just going to help the congress understand how they had coordinated the actions leading up to today.

The speaker then elaborated more on the Winchester’s contribution to the current world order.

“Dean and Samuel Winchester were born of the union of Mary Campbell and John Winchester, both legacies to the ‘Men of Letters’, but Dean Winchester will live the fulfillment of the prophecy concerning the ‘Righteous Man.” As he pause for effect there was a ripple of murmuring like a wave across the room, the members whispering comments to one another. Most of them were well aware of the prophecy, as every school child was taught the prophecies that had already come to pass regarding the new millennia as well as the ones yet to be fulfilled.

Dean was flustered, blushing as he remembered the prophecy that outlined the ‘Righteous Man’ becoming Heaven’s husband. His heart beat a little faster as Sam tried to get his attention by whispering, “Dean, what are they talking about?”

Dean wouldn’t make eye contact with his brother, just shook his head slightly and said under his breath, “Not now Sammy.”

“So you know what they’re talking about?” Dean shook his head again as the noise in the room escalated.

The speaker smiled widely at the response he was getting and beamed at Dean with a look on his face not unlike a proud father and continued, his voice booming out over the crowd. “Dean Winchester…” he paused enough to allow the noise to die down and then spoke with authority, “Dean Winchester is heaven’s choice and the time has come for him to take his bride. You will all soon be witness to the fulfillment of the prophecy,” he nodded at Dean whose blush was in full bloom now. How did they know? Was it written on his face? Had he been followed, or was everyone else expecting this but him? Was Cas aware that everyone knew? It was all new to him; he had just found out himself, he was surely not ready to go public; he hadn’t even talked to Sam about it. He couldn’t look at him. Not now. Not yet, and now he would not have a choice.

“Ladies and gentlemen, werefolk and all, I introduce to you, the soon to be husband of Heaven, the fulfillment of the ‘Righteous Man’ prophecy, everyone give your attention to Mr. Dean Winchester.”

Dean rose and made his way to the podium, all the while freaking out on the inside. The calm on his face belied the inner frenzy of thoughts raging through him.

He cleared his throat and addressed the room, “Good morning everyone here and at home,” Dean opened, all too aware that the whole proceeding was being transmitted nationwide, to every province, and to every person. “I hope that everyone understands the importance of what we are trying to accomplish today. We have been working with every province, with input from each one in the effort to create this new process and to meet the needs of us all. We all want to maintain the peace that we have fought so hard to accomplish. My family and I have been dedicated to the Alliance all of our lives. My father, John Winchester, as well as my mother Mary were hunters and trained my brother Sam and I to fight for what we believed in. We believe in the purpose that the Alliance was founded for, to uphold and maintain the peace, for us, our families and all of our descendants. There has been too much violence, too many wars, too much pain inflicted on the innocent, and too many deaths in the name of peace. Our goal now is to legislate peace, maintain it by coming together in one accord, deciding together how to maintain it without shedding one more drop of blood. The peacekeepers in the provinces, the reassigning of previous monsters to more productive and amiable endeavors, and the working together of the provinces to insure that all are fed, warm and happy have all led to what we can comfortably say has been a success. Our hope today is that we will all benefit by our concerted effort to perpetuate the peace by peaceful means. So now, let me introduce the legal and technical part of our team, my brother Sam Winchester and Kevin Tran, both superlatives in their respective fields.”

Sam and Kevin came to the front to start the demonstration to the sound of the crowd discussing why Dean did not address the elephant in the room, the issue of the prophecy. Sam waited for the murmuring to decline and then began the explanation of what the new process of selection would entail. Technology would enable the selection process to be fair to all while picking the best qualified person. Kevin then explained the factors used in the program’s algorithm and proceeded to run a mock demonstration while Dean struggled to compose himself. His mind was full of the impact that this was going to make on his life. He surreptitiously messaged Mildred, who he was sure was already aware of the situation, so that she could ward off the major inquiries by giving all a ‘no comment’ statement for the present. There was no way this was all going to just blow over, not when the announcement of his pending nuptials had been transmitted nationwide, to heaven no less. Dean just hoped no one was going to approach Castiel. The relationship was so new and they had had so little time together even though they were both aware of the prophecy and what it implied. He wanted to talk to him, but really didn’t know what to say. Maybe tonight? There would be so little time today and he really wanted to talk to Cas in person. 

The rest of the day went smoothly as could be expected. Dean avoided getting cornered by almost everyone. He failed at avoiding Sam who dogged him all day until he caught Dean alone, but not before Dean had met with all of the Council members behind closed doors. Their response to him was sincere if not as informative as Dean wished. The spokesman from the morning placed his arm around Dean’s shoulder and disclosed what he felt Dean should be apprised of.

“Dean, you know your father and I were close friends and fellow hunters?” Dean nodded his assent as the two paced the room slowly.

“And he taught you boys both about the lore as well as prophecy in order for you to be successful at hunting, so I am sure that this is not the first you have heard about the prophecy linked to your legacy.” Dean continued to nod as he was spoken to; only wanting to listen as he was not ready to talk about anything going on in his life currently. 

“I am also assured that both you and Sam are not unaware of the signs in recent times leading up to what will inevitably come to pass, and that the signs have been escalating.”

“No I was not aware of the escalating signs, sir.”

“Come Dean. The conference you arranged is one of the main signs. All the dignitaries under one roof, and you orchestrated it. The signs of the new earth are coming to pass right in front of us. The new heaven and the new earth are not far behind, and you my son and your wedding will be at the apex of the beginning of the new world. You can feel it happening. I see it on your face. Whatever you think or believe, it is happening and you are in the epicenter of all that will transpire.”

Dean felt his respirations increase, he was not ready for…Why him?

“Dean, your father knew. I think it was why he was so hard on you boys. He knew that you two would be responsible for so much in the new world order. He was preparing you, you know, as in trial by fire. The life of a hunter is harsh, but you two always came out on the other side, stronger and wiser for the effort. You boys are born leaders and destiny is on your side. My advice to you is to embrace this. You’ll do well with Sam to back you up. Then there is the not unimportant issue about your bride.” He made a pointed look at Dean who met his gaze with only mild sheepishness. He guessed it would all come out in time; he just wasn’t ready for his new relationship with Cas to be put in the spotlight. He deflected the mention of the bride by directing back to his father.

“So you think Dad knew? I mean about the whole thing, the uh…husband deal and everything?”

“Dean, your father and I discussed your future many times. I’m only one of his confidants that pledged to him our loyalty to support and watch out for you and Sam. Behind the scenes of course, but you boys knew we always had your backs, right?”

“Right sir. I knew our jobs here were related to our lifelong contacts.”

“And rightly so, my boy. The two of you have performed excellently and I’m sure will continue to do so.”

“Thank you sir. Thank you all,” he said nodding to the Council members right at the time the ten minute warning signal to return to the conference pealed out. He shook their hands and then excused himself.

Dean was able to evade Sam’s inquiries until after the conference’s daytime meetings concluded. Sam and he had both planned to change for the evening at their offices and they returned there together. 

“Sam, I don’t know what to tell you. I’m kind of in the dark myself. You know the prophecies as well as I do and I never thought…I mean it could have been either one of us…we’re both…I mean we’re both legacies and all. But then you have Jess and I never thought I’d…”

“But now there’s Cas isn’t there?”

“Yeah. Yeah there’s Cas…” Dean couldn’t hide the way he felt. He thought he’d always had a good poker face, and had kept a lot of things from Sam in his life, but the enigmatic smile on his face hid nothing from his brother who had been reading his expressions for years.

Sam smiled quietly and returned, “So, yeah. Cas. Seems about right.” He patted Dean on the back. “So Cas meeting us there?”

“Yeah, um. Didn’t think there’d be time today to ya know, pick him up…so meeting me there.”

“So’s Jess. I’ll be ready in a sec.”

Mildred had Dean’s things pressed and ready so they were able to get to the restaurant in plenty of time to position themselves in the greeting line at the bottom of the staircase leading in to the ballroom. The restaurant had been chosen not only for it’s proximity to the Alliance headquarters, but also for the spectacular building itself. The staircase was unequaled in it’s floating structure, each step was a shining, translucent shelf, held together with silver cords linked to banisters that reflected light like the facets of jewels. Each step appeared to be floating on its own cloud and the light fixtures in the room were modeled after elaborate candelabra and their luminescence was ethereal in nature. The whole room had an eerie blue light permeating that was both calming and hopeful.

Dean as an official representing the Council was at the head of the receiving line next to Sam. He was gorgeous in his elegantly tailored tux, black with iridescent lapels that matched his bow tie. The attendees had been steadily entering for the last twenty minutes and Dean had been on his best diplomatic behavior deflected questions that he was not ready to answer and yet remained his usual charming self. He had been watching for Cas without neglecting his duties as he continued to shake hands, smile, answer questions and steal glances to the top of the stairs. He was talking to an older couple, and handling their questions rather well he thought, when Sam nudged him. Dean grimaced at Sam and tried to dismiss him, but Sam persisted motioning upward until Dean looked.

What Dean saw when he looked up made his breath hitch and his mouth hang open, struck dumb by the vision at the top of the stairs. There was light radiating around and also through the figure at the top of the floating steps.

The dark haired man was resplendent in his shimmering midnight blue suit that hugged tightly to his thin frame. His skin was luminous, reflecting rays of light from all over the room and glowing back with the appearance of a halo shining around his head. The man was scanning the room, searching for something or someone with childlike eagerness that was contradictory with the magnificence of his appearance. Everyone’s eyes were drawn to the angel’s brilliance and then to the man at the bottom of the stairs when Castiel found Dean and waved shyly at him, beaming with a joyous smile when he found his love and their eyes focused on each other. 

As Castiel started to descend, carefully holding to the banister, never breaking his gaze with Dean, the music in the background began to build slowly from a classical instrumental piece to one accompanied by a choir softly singing with overlays of ethereal melodies. Everyone’s attention was directed to the couple as Dean was watched Castiel descend with a look of adoration. With each step the crowd viewed the joyous expressions on the pair as they were oblivious to anyone or thing else but each other. There was a collective sigh when Castiel finally reached the bottom and Dean stepped out of line to hold out his palm up and Castiel smiled openly as he placed his hand in Dean’s.

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"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot, plot. Nothing but schmoop and plot and not a bit of porn. If I know these two, there will be more in the future. The reference at the end is from Revelation. I read somewhere one time that SPN was a fanfic of the bible. Love to see when it's woven in to the story myself. OBTW, please google Ryan Gosling in midnight blue tux. This is what I pictured Cas dressed in. Tight pants(yum) and the blue of that suit was so unique. I would have paired it with a blue-grey or black silk shirt instead of white for the blue eyed angel. And we have all seen Jensen Ackles in a tux, nuff said. Thank you all for reading and commenting. I just discovered fanfiction a few month ago and was inspired to start writing. I've always wanted to write but never had the drive or inspiration. What is it about these boys?


End file.
